Rise and Fall
by sjc6583
Summary: Continuation of Reshaping History: After traveling back in time Clark has to get used to being back in a world where heroes haven't yet risen as well as hiding the truth about the future he came from. Full Summary inside. (ON HOLD)
1. Chapter 1 Part 1

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**Disclaimer: I do not own anything. Just having some fun.**

**Note to readers: This fic carries on from Reshaping History. That fic is on my profile page.**

**Summary**

Continuation of Reshaping History: After travelling back in time Clark has to get used to being back in a world where heroes haven't yet risen as well as hiding the truth about the future he came from. All the while trying to stop Lex as well as dealing with peoples reactions to how much he seems to have changed in such a short time.

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**Rise and Fall**

**Chapter 1 Part 1  
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It has been just over two weeks since Clark travelled back in time from the year twenty twenty seven and life around Smallville and Metropolis was slowly returning to normal after the events of Dark Thursday. Martha had spent most of the past two weeks in Topeka working with the other state senators to help find ways of minimizing the cost of the repairs that were needed to the infrastructure as well as trying to raise funds from other sources as well.

Lois spent a lot of time with Martha since she was her campaign manager and the young brunette had learned a lot over the past two weeks. She had also learned a little bit about patience but not that much. She was now in the beginnings of a relationship with Oliver Queen who had in a way blackmailed her into a date and despite the front she put up Lois had to admit she enjoyed it and Oliver had asked her out again.

Chloe had moved into the apartment above the Talon as Met U was still closed after the riots of Dark Thursday but she spent most of her time at the planet while worrying about Clark. Nobody had seen or heard off Clark since he left with the other Kryptonian after stopping Zod. In truth both Martha and Chloe were worried that he wasn't going to come back at all and even if he did they wondered if he would come back as his normal self. Both Clark and Martha had told Chloe about what had happened the beginning of senior year with Jor-El brainwashing him so she was slightly afraid that Jor-El would do the same thing again. She was also slightly angry at Clark for not coming to see her and she would have a few words with him about that when he does eventually show up.

As for Lana things had been interesting for her. After having a very long talk with Chloe and getting the blonds perspective on things she had decided to end her relationship with Lex. Of course she didn't tell Lex the complete truth when she broke up with him but she told him a few things that were true. She told Lex that recent events had made her realise that she wasn't ready to be in a relationship and that she needed to work out where she wanted her life to go. Lex of course brought Clark up into the conversation and despite Lex saying that she couldn't let Clark go she knew it was only partly true. After her talk with Clark she realised that he was right and that they just weren't meant for each other. She also knew that she and Lex weren't meant to be together either. In fact Lex was freaking her out slightly especially since she still had Clark's memory of the night she died in her head and it made it hard to face Lex. Since breaking up with Lex Lana had contacted Nell and asked her could she stay with her for a little while to which her aunt obviously said yes despite not being to impressed with the fact that she had broken up with Lex. Nell like Lex both seemed to think she was still too hung up on Clark to move on and maybe in a way they were right, but she knew they couldn't be together and that in time she would move on. Clark was always going to be a part of her life and she wouldn't trade that for anything especially since she now knew why he did everything he did.

The last few weeks had been an interesting experience for Lex as he woke up with a day missing from his memory. Then he got dumped by Lana which he was not to happy about and he couldn't get rid of the feeling that it was because of Clark. In fact as far as Lex was concerned it was Clark's fault that Lana had broken up with him despite what she said. He could see it in her eyes that she still loved Clark and wasn't going to let go of him. That was a problem that he needed to find a way to fix sooner rather than later or he would never get the chance to have Lana the way he wanted her. He had spent the past year slowly manipulating her emotions when it came to Clark and it was working. Over the past year he had planted a seed of darkness within her that was just under the surface but now somehow that darkness that was starting to grow had withered away and he needed to find a way to undo whatever had been done to change Lana's attitude so much. She was more like the girl she was when she was with Clark at the beginning of the year. Happy and almost care free and that didn't suit his plans at all. The other interesting thing that had happened recently was the fact that he was kidnapped by two men who seemed interested in finding out about how he had come into curtain powers. This actually intrigued him as they told him what he had been able to do. In all honesty what his kidnappers told him he was able to do surprised him greatly and he had spent a lot of time since the kidnapping wondering how to replicate such power. The downside to his kidnapping though was that the kidnappers had been killed by his fathers men when they found him so he had no leads to work with to find out more.

As for Oliver Queen he had bought a building in Metropolis and converted the top floor into an apartment slash office and had spent the past two weeks deeply investigating Lex while trying to figure out where Lex got the powers that he had. The one thing that confused him though was that the other members of his team seemed to have seen powers like Lex's before but they all told him that they couldn't tell him. That in truth annoyed him a bit but he also knew that Bart, Victor and AC wouldn't keep it a secret unless they had made a promise not to reveal what they knew. For now he could except that but he also knew that a time would come when he would need them to answer his questions.

As for Clark and Raya nobody had seen or heard of them since Zod had been defeated.

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Chloe opened her eyes to look out the bedroom window of the apartment. She still hadn't got used to living in the apartment and she was grateful that Lois had been away with Martha. In truth she missed having Lana as a roommate but she knew she had to get used to it as she had a feeling that Lana was going to drop out of Met U. Although her friend hadn't said anything directly about it, there had been hints during their conversations that Lana was thinking about leaving. Part of her knew that the reason she was leaving was because of Clark but for the first time in the long rollercoaster ride that had been the Clark and Lana relationship she suspected they had both realised that it would never work. As far as Chloe was concerned it was about time that the two of them either made up or broke up permanently and it looked like things were over for good.

Getting out of the bed Chloe quickly grabbed a shower before changing and heading downstairs as she was in desperate need of a caffeine fix like she was every morning when she woke up. As she got to the bottom of the stairs in the Talon she immediately saw Lex sitting there at one of the tables and from the look of things he had been waiting for her to come down.

Lex had arrived at the Talon as it opened and since he was the owner he helped himself to a free mug of Coffee while he waited for Chloe to come down. If he had to he would wait a few hours for the blond to arrive as he had some questions that he needed answers to. Two questions were at the front of his mind at the moment though. Firstly where was Clark as nobody had seen him since Dark Thursday and secondly what did Chloe know about the reason behind Lana breaking up with him. He also wanted to know if Chloe knew anything about what had happened to him but even if she did he knew he would never get an answer out of her.

As Lex was on his third refill he heard the door to the upstairs apartment closing and glanced up to see Chloe walking down the stairs. As he looked at her he noticed that she saw him as well and she paused just for a second before carrying on down the stairs before going to the counter and ordering what he guessed was coffee. Lex sat there for about a minute as Chloe ordered her coffee to go and as the blond started to make her way to the door he decided to call her.

_Almost Made it_. Chloe thought to herself as she made her way towards the door before Lex called her name. She had been hoping that she was wrong and that Lex hadn't come to the Talon to see her. Turning back around she looked at Lex for a second before heading over to the table he was sitting on. "Lex" She said in a flat tone as she approached his table.

Lex looked Chloe in the eyes and could see the usual distain that was there when she spoke to him over the past few months but what was ironic was the fact that the way she looked at him now was how she used to look at his father. Now though things seemed to have taken a one eighty as he had seen her talking to his father a few times over the past few weeks. "Chloe I was hoping to catch you this morning" He finally said while watching her for some kind of reaction.

"Well I'm here as you can tell so what do you want" She asked still keeping her tone even.

"I was wondering if you had seen Clark actually…I haven't seen him since before Dark Thursday and nobody around town as either" Lex watched her closely as he waited for her to respond hoping that he could catch a glimpse of something but much to his annoyance Chloe's expression stayed neutral.

"He went to help out some friends of his father…I don't know how long he will be gone for…Why"

"Well I was hoping he might have seen me somewhere around on Dark Thursday as I still cant remember anything…I know Clark and I don't talk like we used too but I was hoping that he might be of some help"

"I don't know what to tell you Lex…I haven't spoken to Clark since he left" Chloe said back before taking a small breath "He'll probably call sometime in the next few days and I can ask him if you want"

"Thanks Chloe that would be great" Lex said as he stood up now realising that he wasn't going to get anything out of the blond. As he got ready to leave he decided to ask another question "You haven't seen Lana recently have you…I know she's staying with her aunt but for some reason she's not answering her cell when I try calling her"

"No I haven't and don't take it personally Lex…Lana is just trying to work through some things and when she's ready she'll call you" Chloe said back even though she knew that Lana was avoiding Lex at the moment as apparently the bald wonder was freaking her out especially since Lana had learned that Lex was responsible for the death in the other timeline.

"Maybe your right…I know we broke up but I just wanted to make sure she was alright" Lex responded before saying bye and making his way towards the door.

As Lex left the Talon he glanced back through the window before heading towards his car. _I will find out what your hiding_. He thought to himself as he got into his car and started the engine.

Chloe for her part let out a sigh as she watched Lex walking away. This wasn't how she wanted her day to start and she was hoping that Clark would be back soon. The longer he was away the harder it would be for them to come up with excuses as to why he's away. She also knew that sooner or later Lex would start searching for Clark.

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Sitting at his desk Oliver Queen was reading through a few files that Bart and Victor had gotten out of Luthor Corp regarding Lex's thirty three point one experiments. So far the data they had gotten hold of showed that Lex had found a way of increasing the abilities of a few Meteor Mutants but the test subjects seemed to burn out after a curtain amount of time. There were only a few cases of these experiments being successful but out of the dozens of subjects only five had been able to show a marked increase in their abilities. There appeared to be a side effect though, and that was that the test subjects needed repeated injections of a Meteor Rock compound to maintain their increased abilities.

Letting out a sigh Oliver placed the folder he was reading down before getting up out of his chair. There was a fundraiser this evening that he was intending on going to that would help victims of Dark Thursday. Normally he wouldn't go to such events with the Luthor's being there but he wanted to see how Martha Kent reacted to that kind of world. Over the past week since he met the newly appointed state senator he had been impressed with her but because of her ties to Lionel he wasn't sure what kind of senator she would make.

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Chloe arrived at the Daily Planet and made her way straight down to her desk and was surprised to see Lana leaning on her desk talking with Jimmy and the two of them appeared to be laughing and joking around. Walking up to the pair she asked Lana what she was doing at the planet so early to which Lana said that she was going to do a bit of shopping and thought she would call in for a chat.

In truth Chloe missed these types of conversations with Lana as the two of them had drifted apart when the brunette started dating Lex. There had been a darkness growing in Lana over the past few months and Chloe had on more than one occasion been afraid for her friend. Now though as she looked into Lana's eyes she could see that that darkness had gone and was replaced by the girl that used to be there.

Sitting down at her desk Chloe asked Lana if she was free for lunch to which she said that she was and then she asked if anyone had heard of Clark yet. Unfortunately Chloe had to tell Lana that nobody had heard off him in a while and that they still didn't know how long he would be gone for.

Lana was saddened by the fact that nobody had heard off Clark for over two weeks now and she was slightly concerned about him. Over the past two weeks she and Chloe had had a chance to have a few chats about Clark and she had learned a lot about her favourite farm boy. Realising that they weren't going to get anywhere worrying about Clark, Lana told Chloe that she'd be back around one so the two of them could grab some lunch and left leaving the blond and Jimmy behind.

Once Lana had left Chloe turned to Jimmy who give her a small kiss on the cheek and she couldn't help the small smile that formed on her face. Over the past two weeks things with Jimmy had been great and the two of them were falling into a very comfortable relationship.

After their little catch-up Jimmy went off to do whatever it was that he did when he wasn't busy leaving Chloe behind to check her emails as well as see what work was available for her.

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At the fortress a column of light that had been circling a blond Kryptonian for over two weeks finally died to reveal Raya standing there looking very exhausted. For the last two weeks she had been learning all about how her powers worked as well as learning a lot about Earth. There was still a tremendous amount she could learn about Earth from the fortress but Kal-El only wanted her to learn enough to get by on her new home.

Over the past two weeks she had learned a fair amount of American history as well as a lot of geographical data so she would know her way around should someone ask her something. Letting out a sigh Raya was finding it difficult to focus as she was completely mentally drained. She couldn't believe how much it had drained her just standing there but from what she now understood about her powers she knew that even though she didn't require sleep from a physical standpoint her mind still needed to rest.

Once her mind settled a bit she looked around the fortress and realised that there was something different compared to what she remembered before she started studying. About twenty meters away from the main control panel there was a crystal wall that wasn't there before. Making her way to it she noticed that there was also a crystallized doorway in the wall and as she got close to it the crystals that acted like a door reseeded towards the ground revealing a large open area that was completely furnished with a mixture of both human and Kryptonian furniture.

Walking completely into what she could only call a living area she was surprised by what she saw. The main area was a large open space fully equipped with Kryptonian food synthesizers as well as what looked like what the humans called a fridge as well as being fully kitted out with tables and chairs. Turing her head to the right she saw what she could only describe as very comfortable looking chairs and two couches for people to sit on. Then as she looked towards the end of the room she could make out three more crystal doorways.

Making her way over to the doorway on her far right the crystals once again began to recede into the ground as she got close to it. As she made her way into the room she gasped at what she saw before a huge smile formed on her face. Looking around in the new room Raya was instantly greeted by the sight of a huge crystalline bed that was about eight feet wide and about eight feet long. Next to the bed was what looked like a bedside cabinet with a small Kryptonian lamp on it.

Walking over to the bed Raya came to a stop as she noticed a folder on the bed with her name written on it. Picking up the folder she opened it and what she pulled out surprised her. There were several documents there and from what she had recently learned from the fortress these documents were a birth certificate, high school diploma as well as a college degree in several subjects. There also appeared to be a drivers licence as well as a passport so she could use human transport to travel outside of the United States.

After several minutes looking over the documents Raya placed everything back inside the folder except for a folded up sheet of paper that had her name on it. Unfolding the sheet of paper a small smile formed on her face again as she realised it was from Kal-El and began to read it.

_Raya if you are reading this then I guess you have found the new living area I built while you were studying(Thank Rao Kryptonian tech makes it easy to make things). Since the folder that this letter was in, was in a room with a bed you can guess that this room is for you. The room next to this one has a shower and toilet facilities and the room next to that one is obviously the one I will probably end up sleeping in at some point. I spent a lot of time here in the timeline I came from so I know that I will need to use a bed eventually._

_I haven't had chance to build a computer interface for you to access the fortress systems from your room yet, and I will get round to it at some point. For the time being though I have instructed Jor-El to give you level two access to all the fortresses systems. The only thing you wont be able to do is remove anything from the archives but anything else you can do with the fortresses systems._

_Well that's about it for now and I will leave you to try out your new bed._

_From Kal_

_P.S. Welcome to Earth._

Putting the letter back into the folder Raya had a huge beaming smile on her face over the fact that Kal-El had made a room for her. She knew that she would have to live amongst humans and she didn't mind that at all but the thought that Kal-El had made a small piece of the fortress hers touched her in a way she hadn't expected. Krypton was gone but Kal-El had given her a small piece of the last part of their home that still existed in the universe that she could call her own and that was a gift she would cherish forever.

Placing the folder on the bedside cabinet Raya stood up before heading towards the room that Kal-El said had a shower before testing out her new bed.

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Opening his eyes Clark was instantly greeted by the bright light that emanated from the sun he was now orbiting. For nearly two weeks he had been drifting in orbit of the sun as he regenerated his energy reserves that had been almost depleted before he had even come back in time. He was about halfway between the sun and Mercury and from this distance his energy reserves would be completely restored within about twenty three days but he knew he couldn't stay in orbit of the sun much longer.

He knew his friends and family would be worried about him if he didn't return soon but being so close to the sun was almost like a drug to him. Every single cell in his body was vibrating and he felt what he could only describe as small static shocks coursing through his body and for lack of better terms it was like getting a total body massage.

He had been in orbit of the sun now for thirteen days and if he had to guess he would say that his energy reserves should be at about sixty percent which was more than enough for the next few weeks until he could work out a schedule for him to disappear to fully recharge. Most of the time he would leave his energy absorption ability turned on unless he was on patrol and that was where his weakness now lie. Despite finding a way around his Kryptonite weakness it had given him another one. Jor-El would tell him that for everything there is a balance and this new weakness was just the way of things balancing themselves out. He could stop Kryptonite from effecting him but the cost was using up his reserves faster than he could restore them without going close to the sun to get a full recharge. Unfortunately even as close to the sun as he was now his body could only convert and store so much but the advantage of being this close to the sun was that where it would take around two hundred and seventy days to recharge from Earth he could do it now in around three weeks. Being this close to the sun also had another benefit and one that he actually found out by accident. At this range from the sun he was even more powerful than what he normally was. In fact at this range not even Kryptonite effected him as the solar radiation from the sun overpowered the effects of Kryptonite and it possibly made him completely immortal from this range but he didn't ponder on that for very long.

Closing his eyes once more he decided to stay for a few more days before he would head back to Earth and check in with everyone.

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Coming out of the portal in the caves of Smallville Raya took a quick look around to make sure nobody was there before shifting into super speed heading towards the Kent farm. Within just a few seconds she arrived at the farm to see it in completely deserted. Walking up to the front door she used the key that Jor-El told her Kal-El had left for her and entered the house.

Last time she was at the house she hadn't taken the time to look around at all. Deciding to familiarise herself with her new home as Kal-El had told her she could stay with him for however long she wanted to she walked around the house taking a quick look in every room. After finishing looking around upstairs one question came to her mind as she realised that there was only two bedrooms and that question was where was she going to sleep as she knew one room was Martha's and the other was Kal-El's.

Deciding to go back into Clark's room she took a closer look at it trying to figure out what type of person he was. She knew that the stuff in this room though probably wouldn't tell her much about Kal-El as he had travelled back in time so his personality would be different from what it was if he was still a teenager.

As she looked around the room and opened a few draws she came across a few pictures and some of the people she knew and others she didn't. There was a picture of Kal-El and an older man who she assumed was Jonathan Kent the man who had raised Kal-El since the age of three. There were also other pictures some where of Lana Lang the brunette she had met when she and Kal-El came out of the Phantom Zone but there were a few that had people in them she didn't recognise. A few were of Kal-El and a boy about the same age that had dark skin and was holding a large round orange object that from what she had learned in the fortress was called a basket ball as well as pictures of the two of them doing other things that she assumed teenage males do on Earth. Then there was another set of pictures that showed a teenage girl with blond hair sitting behind a desk as well as others that included Kal-El and the dark skinned boy. Then there was one more picture that had all four of them in together and as she studied the picture she could clearly see that Kal-El was happy.

Knowing that Kal-El did have a fairly good life here on Earth made her smile slightly as she remembered Lara worrying about weather or not he would have a good life and if he would have people that loved him in his life as well. _I think you would like the life he has lived and the people he has in his life Lara._ She thought to herself as she set the picture down.

Once she finished looking around Raya decided to head downstairs but as she got to the bottom of the stairs she was surprised when she was greeted by the sight of the young blond she had seen in the photo's staring at her in confusion by the front door.

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There you go people Part 1 of Chapter 1 is up so let me know what you think.

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	2. Chapter 1 Part 2

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**Rise and Fall**

_Once she finished looking around Raya decided to head downstairs but as she got to the bottom of the stairs she was surprised when she was greeted by the sight of the young blond she had seen in the photo's staring at her in confusion by the front door._

**Chapter 1 Part 2**

Chloe stared at the other blond as she watched the woman walking down the stairs. Looking at the blond she had to admit the other woman was beautiful and it took her a few seconds to realise who this woman was. During her talks with Lana over the past two weeks the brunette had mentioned that there was another Kryptonian that was with Clark. Lana had described the Kryptonian woman so as Chloe looked at this woman she knew who she was.

After regaining her composure Chloe smiled slightly "You must be Raya…I'm Chloe" the younger blond said to which Raya confirmed who she was. As Raya confirmed her identity Chloe made her way into the living room and noticed that Clark wasn't downstairs. Assuming he was upstairs turned to the other blond "Is Clark upstairs" she asked.

"No I have not seen Clark in just over two weeks…He left a key and told me that I could stay here for a while" Raya said in response to Chloe's question.

"I thought you and Clark went to the fortress together to fix it"

Raya was actually surprised that Chloe seemed to know about the fortress but there again she and Kal-El hadn't had a chance to talk about those who knew about him. "Kal-El did go to the fortress but he left shortly after he had Jor-El put me through some training to help me fit in better…It is possible that Jor-El sent Kal-El somewhere as part of his training" Even though it was apparent that Chloe knew who and what Kal-El was she wasn't sure about telling her that he was currently in orbit of the sun regenerating his powers so she had gone with what he had said he was going to tell people. As Kal-El was from the future she knew there would be several changes that he would want to make so they were going to use the idea that he was going off and training with Jor-El.

Chloe was surprised to hear that Clark had started his training and part of her wondered if that was by his choice or Jor-El's "When will he be back" She finally asked.

"I am uncertain as to how long he will be away but if I had to guess I would say that in total this part of his training should only take a few of your weeks"

"Oh" Was all Chloe could say in response to that but part of her was now a little mad at Clark for leaving without saying anything to anyone about how long he would be. She also wondered if Jor-El even give him a choice in the matter.

Raya could see a look of hurt and possibly anger in the other blonds eyes and she guessed that Kal-El and this Chloe had a really close and open relationship and she was not used to Clark keeping her out of the loop "I am sure that Kal-El will tell you about it when he returns" She finally said hoping that that would help settle the younger blond.

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While Chloe and Raya were back at the farm Lois and Martha were just recovering from the fact that Martha had just been mugged while at the benefit. This strange guy had broken into the benefit and stolen a very pricy necklace that Lionel had loaned the new senator and taken off before the security guards could do anything.

Lois being Lois though chased after the green robber and just before he made his escape through and elevator shaft she had managed to grab his necklace that had a ring on it. This made Lois a very happy person as she was moonlighting for the inquisitor and she knew that this would make a good story.

After the local security team took everyone's statements Lionel took Martha to his office and asked if she was ok to which the senator said yes before apologising to him for loosing the necklace. In truth Lionel wasn't that bothered about the necklace and he was genuinely glad that Martha was unharmed.

Despite that they had decided to only be friends after Martha discovered that he was there the night Jonathan had died he still much to his surprise had feelings for the woman that for some reason he couldn't get passed. He knew she would never love him and that her feelings for him would never go beyond friendship and in truth he couldn't blame her. In many ways he was still the same Lionel he was before Jor-El started using him as a vessel. The only thing that had changed was that Jor-El had shown him the price that usually comes to those who seek ultimate power. That was why even though Jor-El was no longer using him like before he had stayed loyal to the Kent's and Clark. Jor-El showed him that true power comes from within a person and not from what a person can take. It made him understand one thing that he could never understand before and it was one thing that saddened him. When he dies Kings and Presidents would attend his funeral and he would be remembered as nothing more than a man that created a business empire. People like Martha and Clark would have those that truly meant something to them and they would be remembered for all the good ways that they touched peoples lives. It was the one thing he doubted he would ever have but at least now he did have one or two people who would think of him as a friend when he leaves this world. Even if it could be nothing more that was something he could live with.

After spending another hour talking in his office Lionel told Martha that he would take her back to the farm. What surprised him though was when she said she was staying at a hotel and when he asked why she told him that the Farm didn't feel right without Clark there. Deciding not to argue with her Lionel offered to take he back to her hotel to which she accepted. With that the two left his office and made their way down to the parking lot.

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_**Three days later**_

Clark opened his eyes only to again be greeted by the sight of the burning sun that give him his powers. In total he had been in orbit of the sun for about sixteen days and he knew he couldn't stay any longer. There were things he needed to do as he had spent months planning on what he would do once he travelled back in time and with his stored energy level at what he guessed was around seventy percent he knew he couldn't put off going back to Earth anymore.

Turing himself away from the sun he closed his eyes for a few seconds as he sensed where everything in the solar system was. That was another cool power he discovered he had that seemed to kick in whenever he left a planets atmosphere and into open space. His senses heightened in a way he never expected and for a lack of better words it was like he had a form of Radar in his head. He could sense everything within a solar system and track planet locations without even looking for them. Space after all was huge and trying to look for one small planet from where he was just wouldn't work. It would take ages so he was glad that he had this sensor thing in his head that allowed him to know where everything was. A part of him actually wondered what his range was but he had never really put it to the test and he was quite happy with the way things were anyway.

After a few seconds he sensed the gravitational field generated by the Earth and how it was tugging against the gravity field of the sun. Once he locked onto it he opened his eyes and flew towards Earth. Within a few seconds his body generated a sub space field allowing him to go travel faster than light. Within about a minute he slowed himself down as he reached the Earths moon before heading towards his home.

As soon as he broke through the atmosphere he headed straight towards the fortress but after noticing Raya wasn't there he realised that she had probably gone back to Smallville. Getting changed at the fortress he decided to go with a look that usually only Kal would wear but the days of Plaid shirts had gone long ago. Using some tech from the fortress he was able to replicate a pair of black jeans with a dark red T-shirt and a black leather jacket similar to the one he often wore when he was on red-K.

Once dressed he accessed the portal and within a few seconds appeared in the cave in Smallville. Taking a quick look around he made sure there was nobody there before shifting into super speed.

Arriving at the farm he noticed as the sun set that it was in darkness. Opening the front door he went straight into the living room only to come to a complete stop as he saw Raya asleep on the couch. What had caused him to come to a complete stop though wasn't the fact that she was asleep, it was what she was wearing. She was laying on the couch in just his high school football jersey and he couldn't help but take in the sight of her, especially her legs which were completely exposed as his jersey was only just covering some of her more intimate parts.

_Get a grip Kent you don't need this crap right now_. He said to himself as he shook off the feeling of his heat vision flaring up. Once he regained his composure he quietly went up stairs and into his room to grab a pair of pyjama bottoms and pulled the quilt back on his bed. Turning around he quietly headed back down stairs and into the living room and placed his pyjama bottoms on the back of his dads chair before turning his attention to Raya.

Going over to her he as gently as he could picked her up and he was surprised that instead of waking she seemed to snuggle closer to him turning her head into his chest slightly. Not wanting to wake Raya he lifted himself off the floor about six inches and floated the two of them up stairs and into his room where he carefully placed her into his bed before covering her back up with the quilt.

Letting out a sigh Raya turned onto her side and pulled the quilt tightly around her which caused Clark to stifle a chuckle as he looked at her. Shaking his head slightly he turned around and made his way back down stairs before getting undressed and going to sleep on the couch.

After about an hour Clark was struggling to get to sleep. Something was off and he couldn't place it and it was driving him nuts as it was almost as if he was forgetting something. The only trouble was he couldn't figure out what he was forgetting. Deciding that sleep wasn't going to come anytime soon he got up off the couch and headed to the kitchen to make himself a drink. As he turned the kitchen light on he noticed a newspaper on the counter and as he picked it up he felt like hitting himself with a bat made out of Kryptonite.

There on the front page of the newspaper which much to his hatred was the Inquisitor. The reason he wanted to beat himself with Kryptonite was the fact that it had a story about the GREEN ARROW BANDIT. _I wonder if Ollie realises that that name is going to stick for a very long time_. Clark thought to himself before realising as he looked at the calendar what the date was. If events were similar to what they were in the other timeline then he knew that in about twenty minutes Lois would be pointing one of Ollie's own crossbows at him before she tries to unmask him.

Part of him wanted Lois to do it just to annoy Ollie but the more rational part of him knew that Lois wasn't yet ready for it. Letting out a sigh he changed his clothes before shooting off out of the house and headed towards Metropolis.

A few seconds after he left though Raya came down the stairs with a confused look on her face. She was wondering how in the name of Rao had she woken up in Kal-El's bed as she had slept on the couch for the past few nights.

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Arriving at Metropolis Clark used his hearing to lock onto Lois's heartbeat and found her easily. At this very moment Oliver was rescuing her from some people who wanted to know who the Green Arrow really was but not wanting to risk her safety he stayed close just in case something changed in this timeline and Lois got into serious danger.

Staying out of sight he watched through the wall as Oliver rescued Lois and he was grateful that everything seemed to be working out Ok. Tracking the two of them as Oliver made his way out of the building with Lois in his arms he was hit with a sudden sense of jealousy that surprised him. From his perspective Lois had been dead for almost eight years but seeing her was hitting him harder than he expected and his emotions were starting to overpower him as flashes of his time with her came running through his mind.

Maintaining what control he had he forced himself to watch from another rooftop as Lois woke and overpowered Oliver before taking his crossbow off him. Clark waited in the shadows as Lois said something to which he wasn't really listening to before she made her way towards Oliver and was about to unmask him.

Shaking himself from his memories Clark activated his heat vision sending small bursts towards the large signpost that was near Oliver and Lois. The small explosions that happened as the bursts his the lights on the signpost worked exactly as it did in the other timeline and distracted Lois long enough for Oliver to make a run for it.

Knowing that he could track Oliver's heartbeat Clark stayed on the rooftop looking at Lois from the shadows. For some reason he just couldn't bring himself to move at all and all he could do was watch as she looked around in confusion. After a few minutes Lois appeared to make her mind up and left allowing Clark to finally breath as she moved out of sight.

Once Lois was gone Clark leaned back against the wall that was behind him closing his eyes fighting with all his mental strength to regain control of his emotions. He must have stood there against the wall for a good five minutes before managing to regain control of himself and activating his hearing to lock onto Oliver's heartbeat. Shifting into super speed he headed towards Oliver.

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Racing through the streets of Metropolis Oliver was utterly confused as to what just happened. Lois was about to unmask him before the lights on the signpost suddenly started exploding for no reason. He couldn't help but thank whatever god just saved his ass as Lois terrified him as she stood there with his crossbow.

Shaking himself out of those thoughts he looked up at the road ahead before slamming on the breaks of his bike. There about thirty feet in front of him was a man wearing a pair of black jeans and a black leather jacket floating about ten feet off the ground with his arms folded across his chest.

Clark from his position about ten feet in the air had to hold back a smirk as he looked at Oliver's gob smacked expression. Noticing Oliver getting off his bike he decided to lower himself to the ground "Oliver Queen you owe me one"

Oliver looked at this man in confusion and it took him a few seconds to work out that this guy was the one that just saved his ass "That was you on the roof"

"I don't think Lois would understand why her new boyfriend has two identities…Besides she isn't ready to be brought into the type of world that people like you and I live in" Clark said before letting out a sigh "Look…Considering you owe me one how about you return the necklace you took from my mother and we'll call it even"

"Your mother" Oliver asked in confusion before realising that the only person he had taken a necklace off was Martha Kent. That was when he realised who this person was. Both Lois and Martha had spoken about a Clark Kent and if he was truthful with himself he could swear that Lois had a thing for him but hadn't realised it yet. "Your Clark Kent" Oliver finally said to which Clark simply nodded.

"By the way tell Bart, Victor and AC I said hey and be careful with them…Lex would love nothing more than to get his hands on them again" Clark said before shooting into the air leaving Oliver behind with a shocked look on his face as he watched him fly off into the sky.

_How the hell does he know about Bart, Victor and AC_. Oliver thought to himself before another thought popped into his head. He had seen powers like this before with Lex on Dark Thursday and he knew that Bart, Victor and AC had as well but they wouldn't tell him. That's when realisation hit him, they all knew this Clark Kent and if they were friends the boys wouldn't betray any trust between them. It also made him wonder if this Clark was the one that stopped Lex. It also brought up the question as to how he had the powers he possessed.

Shaking himself out of those thoughts Oliver got back onto his bike and drove off deciding he needed to have a chat with his team.

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For some reason he couldn't explain Clark found himself hovering above Smallville Cemetery just looking down towards his fathers grave. Despite the fact that his father was dead he had helped save his but on more than one occasion since his death. Until the incident with Darkseid and his encounters with Diana's Olympian gods he would have thought he was going crazy when he first started seeing his dad around. His dad always seemed to turn up when he needed him the most and right now he could use his fathers advice.

Seeing Lois again had hurt him more than he imagined it could and when he seen her on the rooftop all he wanted to do was grab onto her and kiss her with everything he had. He knew he couldn't though and that was the price he was willing to pay for coming back in time. He had already changed things and he doubted he and Lois would ever get together in this timeline.

The one thing that concerned him at the moment more than Lois's effect on him was what his reaction to Diana would be when she eventually ventures out into the world. From what she had told him by now she had already become Champion of the Gods but it would still be about seven years until she leaves the Island permanently. He knew that she would venture out on short trips to different countries leaning a little about the people of the world but he also knew there was a possibility that he may accidentally run into her at some point before she takes on the role of Wonder Woman.

He knew that with Lois if he did do something stupid he could use some freaky excuse to get around it but with Diana he knew it wouldn't work and he didn't want to do anything to complicate her life anymore than what it will be when she does go public. It had taken Diana a few years to adjust to being away from her Island for so long and it also took her years to fully understand relationships that form between a man and a woman.

In many ways Bruce had been the one to teach Diana about relationships between men and women despite the front he often put up. But just as he knew that he would loose Lois one day Bruce had realised that Diana would one day loose him. In a funny kind of way he understood why Bruce kept Diana at a curtain distance and despite people believing he was cold hearted that wasn't the case at all. Bruce had been trying to save himself and Diana from the pain that he knew would eventually come. He knew that in time the two of them would be separated and that there was nothing that anyone could do about it.

Perhaps Clark thought as he floated above the cemetery that maybe that was why Bruce used to tell him that staying with Lois would one day cause him more pain than he could handle. In a way Bruce was right but it hadn't been time that had killed Lois it had been a bomb in her car. It did however make him realise that Bruce had been right. In allowing himself to love Lois as much as he did he had opened a doorway to more pain than he had ever experienced up until that point.

After Lois's death it had been Diana that had saved him. She saved his humanity as well as his soul from the darkness that crept in after Lois's death and even now it was the memory of Diana that kept his soul alive but he knew that she was also possibly out of his reach now that he had changed things. He could live that he knew just as he knew that Lana and Lois would still be a part of his life, that Diana would be as well. In the end it didn't matter if their relationship was a romantic one or not because he knew that she would be there for him when he needed her. He had never told Chloe this and in a way it shamed him that he could think it but it was true. Diana had been the best friend he had ever had and that was for the same reason as to why he loved Diana far more than he had loved Lois. Chloe couldn't really understand Kal-El anymore than Lois could and it was a sad truth but the truth none the less. Now though as he looked down at his fathers grave he realised he had to do something he hadn't been able to do in the other timeline. He had to let them go.

Taking a glance around he took one last look at his fathers grave "Thanks Dad" he said with a small smile before shooting off back up into the air.

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Oliver arrived back at his apartment and walked into the secure area at the back to see Bart, Victor and AC sitting at a table playing poker with each other. As he walked into the room each of them give him a quick hello before returning to their game. Deciding he needed some answers he pulled up a chair and sat down "We need to talk about Clark Kent" He said in a firm tone which caused the others at the table to look at him.

"What do you want to know" Victor asked with a bit of concern.

"Well for one how the hell does he have powers like the ones Lex had on Dark Thursday…And how the hell do I stop him if I have to"

"Sorry bro…But still don't know how bald wonder got his juice…Don't think Kent would help Lex though if that's what you thinking" AC said in response as he knew Clark wouldn't help Lex get that kind of power even if they were friends once.

Oliver let out a sigh knowing they weren't going to tell him about Clark's powers but he had to ask the next question "If he's as powerful as Lex was I need to know how to stop him…So I am just going to ask…Do any of you know of a weakness" Both Victor and AC shook their heads indicating that they didn't know of any weakness that Clark may have but as Oliver turned his head towards Bart he noticed that the youngest member of the group was avoiding all eye contact with them. "What do you know Bart"

Bart's head snapped up to look at Oliver before he got out of his seat "No way man…I ain't telling" With that Bart shifted into super speed before Oliver had chance to say anything.

As soon as Bart left the room Oliver turned to the other two who were just looking at Bart's now empty seat before looking at him "I need to know how to stop him if it ever comes down to it…We all saw the video's of what Lex could do…I cant take the risk of another incident like Dark Thursday if there was a chance to stop it"

"What you gonna do Bro if Bart tells…Kill Kent…No way I'd be dead now if it weren't for him" AC said as he now stood up and left.

"He's right man…Kent saved my ass from Lex when he was going to turn me into a mindless drone" Victor said before letting out a sight and standing up himself "Kent's a hero man…Even if I knew how to stop him I wouldn't tell you" With that he left leaving Oliver there with a dumbstruck look on his face wondering what exactly Clark Kent had done to get that kind of loyalty. He'd been working with Bart, Victor and AC for months and he had never seen them close up like this. His decision made he knew he had to get to know this Clark Kent for two reasons. One if he got that kind of loyalty out of the boys then he must be one of the good guys. Secondly he needed to find a way to take Clark down if he needed to. There was one other question that was coming to mind though and that was how the hell does someone hide that kind of power.

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Arriving back at the farm the first thing Clark noticed was that the downstairs light was on. Walking in through the front door he was greeted by Raya who was sitting on the couch.

Raya heard the door open and turned to see who it was. As she looked towards the door she watched as Kal-El walked in and came to a stop when he saw her. At first she thought he was surprised that she would be in his home but that thought quickly disappeared as she saw a small smile form on his face.

Clark looked at Raya who was sitting on the couch still only wearing his football jersey and just like before he couldn't stop his eyes from wandering slightly. _Don't look at her legs_. He had to tell himself as he forced his eyes to look at her face. "Hey Raya…I thought you would still be asleep" He finally said which got him a slight look of confusion before recognition seemed to set in "You were asleep on the couch when I came back earlier…I didn't wake you when I took you upstairs did I"

Standing up Raya turned to face him "No…I woke up and realised I was in your bedroom and I will admit that I was slightly confused as to how I got there…I had spent the last few nights sleeping down here as I didn't want to take your bed" She said as she looked him over and she didn't mind admitting to herself that she liked what he was wearing.

"I will take the couch and you can have my room…I spent nearly a year sleeping down here when Lois was living here…So me and the couch are old friends" As he said that he could see that Raya was going to protest so he put his hand up to stop her "Please take my room…Considering where you have spent the last two decades you deserve a nice comfy bed…I'm alright sleeping down here"

Raya stood there for a few seconds thinking it over and she could tell by the look on Kal-El's face that he wasn't going to take no for an answer. In fact that look she had often seen on Lara's face and I was a look that got Jor-El to do anything she wanted even if he didn't want to "Thank you…Kal-El"

"You can call me Kal Raya…I know Kryptonians tend to be a little more formal with names but personally I like Kal better" Clark said to her as it would make things less awkward if she called him Kal in public accidentally. It was a cover that he had Jor-El teach her as to how they met in case anyone like Lex started asking questions. It was a simple idea but one that should work should anyone start poking around. As far as anyone would know he and Raya met in Metropolis when he run away for those three months on red-k so if she called him Kal in public he could easily brush it off without arousing too much suspicion.

"Kal-El on Krypton the house of El is considered a house of nobility and using your name so informally implies a curtain level of intimacy…It would be inappropriate for me to call you that" Raya said back slightly uncomfortable as she had to admit she wouldn't mind that level of intimacy especially after being alone for twenty years. The only problem was she didn't know if she actually liked Kal-El in the romantic sense considering they had only known each other a short time or if it was the fact that she was attracted to him purely because he was a Kryptonian. That in itself had brought up a few questions over the past few days since she left the fortress. She and Kal-El were the only ones left so it was down to them to preserve their species but even then there was a problem. As long as they had their powers she couldn't become pregnant so if they were going to try and reproduce she would have to be under the light of a red sun or exposed to what Kal-El called blue Kryptonite. It was the universes way of balancing itself out she supposed as under a yellow sun Kryptonians were practically immortal so for some reason two empowered Kryptonians couldn't have children together.

"Raya…You were there when I was born…It wouldn't surprise me if you changed the Kryptonian equivalent of my diapers…So you have probably seen me in all my naked glory you cant get any more intimate than that than actually being intimately involved…So please just call me Kal" He said with a smile as he watched a small smirk appear on Raya's face.

It was true Raya thought to herself she had seen him naked as a child but as she looked at him now she had to admit there was a lot of difference between then and now. However the look on Kal-El's face told her that he already considered them close enough even if they weren't intimately involved to put aside such formalities. "Very well Kal if that is what you prefer"

"It is…I have never been one for formality anyway" He said back before walking over to the TV and putting it on before sitting on the couch.

Raya watched as he sat down and assumed he would be going to sleep. Turning towards the stairs she started to walk out of the room when Kal called her and asked where she was going. Turning to face him she told him she would leave him to get some sleep to which he replied that he wasn't going to sleep and was going to watch some TV. Then he surprised her and asked if she would join him which she decided she would do. Sitting down on the couch next to him they both sat there in comfortable silence just watching the TV together.

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There you go people Part 2 of Chapter 1 is up so let me know what you think.

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	3. Chapter 1 Part 3

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**Rise and Fall**

**Chapter 1 Part 3**

Arriving at the farm both Martha and Lois walked into the living room to only come to a complete stop at the sight before them. There laying on the couch was Clark with the woman she knew as Raya asleep on top of him wearing nothing more than his high school football jersey. To say that this wasn't a sight that either Lois or Martha expected to see would have been and understatement.

Lois for some reason she couldn't explain felt a wave of jealousy that she had to forcefully brush aside as she saw Clark sleeping peacefully on the couch. She couldn't understand why she had this feeling of jealousy especially since she was with Oliver. Brushing those thoughts aside she looked over at Martha who had an expression on her face that frightened her slightly. To put it mildly Martha looked pissed in a way she had never seen before and that confused her. After all Clark was nineteen and old enough to be sleeping fully clothed on the couch with a woman wearing his football jersey.

As Martha looked at her son and the other Kryptonian who appeared to be sleeping peacefully she felt a wave of anger at her son for a reason she couldn't explain. She could see that he was fully clothed but she just didn't like the sight of Clark so peaceful. After a few seconds she turned her attention to the other Kryptonian and her anger seemed to get more intense as she could tell the blond was sleeping just a peacefully as her son was. In truth as she thought about it she realised that what she was afraid of happening was happening and that he son and the other Kryptonian had spent too much time together already and were apparently very comfortable around each other. A little too comfortable for her taste if she were to be completely honest. She and Jonathan had raised Clark as a human and she didn't want some Kryptonian corrupting her son as she had already seen how cold and dangerous they were. She wasn't going to let that happen to her son and as she looked at the two as they slept she knew that she had to do something to get some distance between them before things became too serious between them.

Letting out a sigh knowing she couldn't do anything about it at the moment she called Clark's name and to her surprise he didn't respond. Lois seeing the slightly agitated state Martha was in decided to speak up "Hey Smallville wake up" She shouted to which she did get a response.

Clark heard Lois's voice and before his brain registered anything his hearing picked up the heartbeats of not just one extra person in the room but two. Opening his eyes he felt a weight on his chest that confused him slightly. Looking down he was surprised as he saw Raya sleeping peacefully on his chest. Without thinking about it he floated the two of them off the couch before he moved with a speed far beyond humans to grab Raya in a bridal style hold before lowering himself back to the ground where he placed Raya gently down on the couch. It wasn't until her turned around that he felt like a complete idiot for being so careless. There again he forgot that this Lois didn't know anything about his powers.

Both Lois and Martha stood there wide eyed at what they just saw Clark do for two completely different reasons. For Lois she just watched a man float in mid air before moving faster than she could see to grab this other woman in a gentle hold before carefully placing her down on the couch. For Martha she was having Kal-El flashbacks and was instantly wondering if she should break out the Kryptonite just to be safe.

As Clark looked at both his mother and Lois he could see the two different expressions but much to his surprise it was the look on his mothers face that worried him the most. He could see fear in her eyes and that hurt like hell. Deciding not to dwell on it he turned his attention to Lois "I thought you'd be with Oliver having breakfast or something"

Lois looked at Clark with confusion for a second _How does he know about Ollie. Oh no he doesn't he's not getting out of this._ She thought before speaking "I don't think so Smallville…Needing a little explanation here" she said gesturing to the couch.

Clark looked at the couch to see Raya still sleeping peacefully and he had to wonder how she could still be asleep considering their hearing. Then again he realised that she spent nearly two decades in a pocket dimension with the worst criminals from twenty eight different galaxies so she could probably sleep through a nuclear explosion without so much as a stir. "Lois this is Raya…She would say hello but as you can see she's not awake" He said with a small smile knowing what Lois was really asking about.

"I meant explain about the whole floating thing" Lois said with a bit of frustration.

Meanwhile Martha was even more angry at her son for being so careless and she could only hope that Lois takes this well as she knew her son well enough to know that he would tell Lois the truth since he had been caught red handed so to speak.

"Ok…This is going to be a long story so why don't we all go to the kitchen…I will give you the short version and my mom can fill in the gaps as I have other places to be today and wont have time for your usual running commentary" Clark said to her before walking towards the kitchen as Lois give him a look that said don't push it. As they got to the kitchen they all sat down as Martha started making coffee and Clark started to give Lois a quick rundown on the biography of Clark Kent, AKA Kal-El of Krypton.

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Chloe awoke in her bed as her phone was ringing. Turning over she looked at her clock to see that it was ten thirty and she was not happy. Her day of from both the planet and Met U and she was being woken and ten thirty. Stretching out she grabbed her phone and looked the caller id which told her Lois was on the other end. Flipping her phone open she put it to her ear and instantly regretted it. "Why the hell didn't you tell me that Smallville isn't exactly from Smallville" Lois shouted down the phone.

Hearing those words Chloe shot up in her bed with a look of horror on her face. _How the hell does she know about Clark_. She thought before responding "Lois what are you talking about…And by the way its nice to hear off you too" She added with a bit of sarcasm as she got out of her bed looking for anything with caffeine in it.

"Oh you know very well what I'm talking about little cuz" Lois said before she took a softer tone as she only called to annoy Chloe about keeping the fact that Clark was an alien a secret. "Don't worry I'm not mad just surprised as hell that you can keep a secret like that"

"What's that supposed to mean" Chloe asked with surprise in her voice only to hear Lois laughing before there was a knock on her door. Going to the door she opened it to see Lois standing there.

"Well cuz I think you owe me a coffee for keeping that secret from me" Lois said with a smile causing Chloe to chuckle slightly.

Realising that Lois did indeed know the truth about Clark she wondered what was going to happen next "So how did you find out"

Lois walked into the apartment and sat on the couch and told Chloe about how she and Martha arrived at the farm and found Clark asleep on the couch with Raya on top of him wearing nothing other than his high school football jersey before he started floating in the air before placing Raya gently back down on the couch. As Chloe listened to Lois's story she couldn't believe how careless Clark had been and she was also wondering about Martha's reaction to seeing Clark and Raya asleep together on the couch. To which Lois told her that Martha seemed really angry about it for some reason that she couldn't work out and that it had actually scared her a bit. Hearing Lois say that Martha scared her a bit actually confused Chloe as she couldn't work out why Martha would be so angry considering from what Lois had said Clark was fully clothed when they were asleep on the couch.

After about half hour of talking Chloe decided that she was going to go to the farm to see Clark because she was slightly angry at him for not coming to see her at all in the past few weeks.

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Clark was at the reposting some of the fencing when he heard Chloe's car pull up. Oliver had only left about ten minutes ago after dropping off the necklace he had taken from his mother a few days earlier as well as ask him a whole bunch of questions which he deflected quite easily. After about ten minutes Oliver had given up and said he was going to meet Lois in town.

As he watched Chloe get out of the car he could tell that she was slightly annoyed at him "I know I didn't call but where I have been there wasn't any cell reception" _That and the time it would take for their conversation to travel back and forth between the earth and the sun would have made it a little difficult to have a conversation_. He said to himself.

"Well you could have called last night when you got back" Chloe said with a bit of bitterness.

"I know and I'm sorry…I didn't mean to worry you" He replied with a look that made him look like a lost little puppy.

Chloe looked at Clark's expression and instantly knew she had lost this battle. _Damn you and that look_ she said to herself before deciding to ask where he had been to which his answer completely shocked her. He told her that he spent the last two and a half weeks in orbit of the sun regenerating his powers. Of course he left out all the parts about him being from the future and just told her that the fight with Zod and being sent to the Phantom Zone had weakened him. He also told her that as far as his mother was concerned he had been away training to which Chloe didn't like the fact that he was keeping secrets from his mother.

After their small chat Chloe asked him how Raya was as she had spoken to the Kryptonian a few times over the past few days and had to admit that she liked the woman despite the fact that sometimes she seems a little arrogant in the way she talks. It hadn't taken her long to realise though that Raya had been raised differently than Clark had, but despite that Raya seemed like a nice enough person. "So where is Raya anyway" She finally asked.

Clark turned to look at the house and x-rayed it and was instantly greeted with the sight of Raya who was completely naked in his bedroom with what appeared to be very wet hair from the shower she had obviously just had. That sight alone was enough to trigger his heat vision but he got it under control before he ended up suffering from a case of premature combustion as Chloe once called it. "She's in my room changing" He finally said hoping his voice didn't betray anything.

It took all Chloe's restraint not to burst out laughing as she caught the sight of his eyes flashing red. Keeping her face as neutral as possible she give him a smile that told him he was going to regret this conversation "So anything going on between the two of you that I should know about"

"Don't go there Chlo" He warned her in a tone that made even her gulp.

Chloe had only ever heard that tone in his voice once before and that was when he was in Metropolis for those three months on Red K. "I was only asking" she finally said.

Realising he had upset her he let out a small sigh "Sorry Chlo…It's just the situation with Raya is a complicated one" He didn't really want to go into the fact that he was also dealing with his feelings for two other women. Both who were dead only a weeks days ago for him and are now both very much alive. Seeing Lois had been hard enough to deal with when he saw her on the roof the previous night but thankfully he was ok with her this morning. As for Diana he had had to stop himself from flying to Themyscira a few times as he wanted to see her even if he couldn't talk to her.

"What do you mean the situation with Raya is a complicated one" Chloe asked not really understanding what he was talking about.

Letting out a sigh Clark leaned against the fence before looking at Chloe "What I said it's complicated…Plus even if I was interested in Raya in that way acting on it would be a bad idea. Especially since she spent the last two decades trapped inside a prison that was designed to hold the worst criminals in the known universe"

Chloe had to agree there that it wasn't a good idea to get involved with the other Kryptonian at the moment. That and the way Lois said that Martha was acting this morning made her believe that Clark and Raya hooking up would be a very bad idea as far as his mother was concerned. "That's a smart move Clark and your right she spent what nearly two decades alone inside some Kryptonian prison" Letting out a sigh of her own "How is she adjusting anyway"

"Well she seems to be doing ok…I had Jor-El put her through some training on human interaction as well as geographical and historical training as well so hopefully she can get by without arousing suspicion…But I have a feeling that sooner rather than later the demons of the last two decades will catch up with her" In truth that was one thing Clark was afraid of himself. He had spent nearly a decade fighting a war against Lex when he became President as well as an army of super soldiers. That added with the deaths of everyone he cared about and the lives he had taken himself, he had no doubt that it would come back and hit him hard at some point. That wasn't something he was looking forward to. He also knew that Raya had spent nearly two decades living in a world where it was kill or be killed and he remembered how much Kara had changed in the other timeline after being in the Zone but thankfully both Kara and Raya had good hearts and he knew that Raya could pull through it when it does catch up with her.

Shaking himself out of those thoughts he asked Chloe if she wanted to join him in the house for some coffee to which she obviously said yes to.

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Lex walked into the Talon and as he started to make his way through towards the counter he came to a complete stop as he saw Clark sitting at one of the tables talking and laughing with a blond girl, well woman Lex corrected himself. As he looked at the pair as they were laughing away he had to admit to himself that this woman was rather beautiful. She lacked Lana's exotic beauty but this woman made up for it with a look of intelligence that his former girlfriend appeared to lack.

What surprised Lex though was the way Clark appeared to be so comfortable around this woman in a way he hadn't seen before. His former best friend seemed to be completely relaxed and it brought the question of how well he knew this woman because Clark wasn't this relaxed even around Chloe. Deciding to go over and introduce himself Lex walked towards the table where his former best friend sat.

Clark and Raya had been at the Talon for about half an hour just talking and enjoying each others company. Clark had decided that Raya needed to get off the farm for a while as Chloe had said that the other Kryptonian hadn't left the farm since the first night she arrived back. In truth that worried him a bit and after a little probing he found out that Raya wasn't sure what she should do. She knew from her training in the fortress about the ways humans interacted with each other but she was still uncertain how to approach someone without drawing unwanted attention. So Clark came up with the idea of a simple idea of taking her to the Talon where she could see for herself how humans socialised. They were on their second cup of Coffee when Clark heard the voice of someone he really didn't want to see "Hello Clark…When did you get back into town"

Clark turned his head to the right and saw Lex and he had to fight the urge to vaporise him with his heat vision "Lex…To what do I owe this pleasure" He said with sarcasm in his voice.

For Raya as soon as she heard Clark say Lex she instantly brought her guard up. Kal had told her about Lex and about the future he had come from and it amazed her that he could keep himself in check especially if what he had said about Lex being responsible for the deaths of everyone he cared about was true.

Lex looked at Clark for a second and could instantly see that all signs of friendship that was once there was now completely gone. He could tell by the look in Clark's eyes that he was done and in a way he was grateful as he had enough of the verbal sparring as well. "Well Clark I was just stopping by for a coffee and I was going to see if Chloe had heard off Lana" As those words left his mouth he carefully watched his former friend for some kind of reaction. Much to his disappointment Clark didn't seem the slightest bit bothered by him mentioning Lana. At this point though he was also curious about who Clark's new friend was "So are you going to introduce us Clark" He said gesturing between himself and the blond sitting next to Clark.

Clark was fully aware of where this conversation was going and he wasn't in the mood to play games "Not really and feel free to leave" Clark said back in an icy tone that Lex had never heard before. However he wanted to know who this woman was and since Clark apparently wasn't going to answer he looked directly at the blond "Lex Luthor" He said to her as he extended his hand hoping she would take it.

Raya looked at Lex's hand and new that it was customary to take it but knowing what Kal had told her about this man she didn't even bat an eyelid at him "Yes I know who you are…And no I am not going to tell you my name" With that said she completely blanked Lex and turned her attention to Kal who by the looks of it was about to burst into laughter at the shocked and confused look on Lex's face.

Lex just looked at the blond woman in annoyance and was even surprised when Clark suddenly turned to face him "Lex…I'm done playing these stupid games with you…Just leave and go and annoy someone else" Clark said in a tone that was even more frightful than the way he spoke not a minute earlier. Realising that he wasn't going to get anywhere he backed away and walked out of the Talon completely forgetting about wanting a coffee.

Raya watched as Lex left and turned her attention back to Kal and she could see he was fighting with his emotions. There in his eyes she could see a hatred and anger that she had never before seen, not even in the eyes of the monsters she had encountered in the zone. That in itself brought up the question of how bad was the future Kal had come from. "Kal are you alright" She asked softly as she reached out with her right hand and taking his left one in hers before squeezing it gently.

Clark looked down at his hand and was surprised at how warm her hand felt and the fact that he could actually feel her squeezing his hand. There had only been maybe half a dozen people he had ever known that could actually feel properly when they touched him. In a way it was the one thing he missed most of all since he was about sixteen. He had never told anyone this but when his invulnerability fully kicked in he had to really concentrate to be able to feel it when people were touching him in such a way. In fact it brought a memory to the front of his mind about something Lois had said in the other timeline shortly after Diana came on the scene. Lois had commented about the fact that because of Diana's strength she was the only woman on Earth that he wasn't related to that could fully effect him in a way that not even she could. That was the first time he saw that Lois had doubts about the two of them and thinking on it now he knew she was right. In the end it always came down to the fact that it was Clark Kent that loved Lois and not Kal-El but thankfully that appeared to be enough for Lois.

Shaking himself out of his memory Clark looked up at Raya before squeezing her hand back and nodding slightly "Yeah I'm good…Just remembering some things"

"Kal if you need to talk to someone about it know that I am here for you" Raya said back with a small smile "Your not alone anymore" With that said the two of them went back to their drinks.

Meanwhile outside the Talon in his car Lex was on his cell phone waiting for someone on the other end to answer. "Yes Mr Luthor" The voice on the other end said.

"There is a blond woman hanging around with Clark Kent I want you to find out who she is and report back to me"

"Understood Mr Luthor" The man on the other end of the phone said before hanging up.

Lex put his phone back in his jacket pocket and started his car. Just before pulling off he glanced at the Talon "I guess our friendship is really over" He said to himself before chuckling slightly "Well it looks like we have to settle for being enemies instead Clark" With that he pulled off speeding down main street.

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**The year 8026**

Sitting on his throne one of the few remaining God's in the known universe frowned as he felt a shift in the timeline that he hadn't expected. Something had gone terribly wrong with a plan that he had spent the last thousand years working on. It was a simple plan but one that needed to be accomplished if he was to save what was left of his kind. All because some Kryptonian had gone on a rampage and had been killing off his kind for over three thousand years while searching for him.

"You were warned about messing with the timeline" A woman's voice said from the shadows causing the God's eyes to flare up as sparks of electricity shot around his irises.

"What would you have me do…How many of our kind has the Kryptonian killed over the last three thousand years" The God snapped back in anger.

There was a little chuckle that came from the unknown female that seemed to anger the god even more "Do not get angry at me…You are the one that killed Earths Olympian God's…You were the one that killed their champion…You were warned against going after the Olympians but you ignored our warnings…You unleashed the Kryptonian's wrath when you Killed Diana of Themyscira"

"She was nothing more than an insect that needed to be stood on…She could have let her precious Olympians die but she chose to fight me…That was her own choice"

"You still understand nothing…Even after all this time you do not understand what you unleashed upon yourself and the others who follow you" The woman said before letting out another chuckle "So now you play with time hoping to kill the Kryptonian before he has the power to kill you and the others…You should know better than anyone that the universe will always find a balance even if it goes against the will of the gods…You sent an agent back in time to influence the one called Lex Luthor to build an army to kill the Kryptonian…But you have failed…The one whose body was used to create that army now lives…The Kryptonian reshaped history and saved her life…That army will no longer be created and you have changed things in ways that not even we can predict…If you wish to survive I suggest you leave the Kryptonian and the Olympians alone…If you do that then maybe you will survive…If not…No force in this universe will protect you from what is to come"

"I do not fear this Kryptonian…I only wish to undo the damage he has done to others of our kind" The god shouted as he stood up to look towards the shadow of where the woman's voice was coming from.

"You are an arrogant fool…The Kryptonian has had the power to kill gods for thousands of years…He is more powerful than you will ever be…If he comes here and finds you…" Another chuckle could be heard from the shadow as it started to move "Well lets just say I don't think you'd last more than five minutes against him" With that the shadow disappeared leaving the god behind to contemplate what he had just been told.

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Note to readers: I know I kind of took and easy route with Lois finding out about Clark. But I just wanted to get it done out of the way. This has a purpose behind as I wanted to get some distance between Clark and Lois and as anyone who has seen season six knows Lois isn't ready to be brought into the superhero world so it serves a purpose for putting some distance between Clark and Lois.

There you go people Part 3 of Chapter 1 is up so let me know what you think.

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	4. Chapter 2 Part 1

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**Hey guys sorry it's been a while since my last update. **

**On my profile page there is a list of stories I am working on at the moment with information on when the next updates will be so you can keep track of things.**

**Hope you continue to enjoy this fic.**

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**Rise and Fall**

**Chapter 2 Part 1**

Clark had just returned to the farm after spending the last few hours patrolling Metropolis as he had done every night for the last month since he returned to Earth. It felt good to him that he was once again doing what he had always wanted to do and that was use his powers to protect people. For him the last ten years had been about fighting a war and not protecting people the way he had wanted to.

Walking into the living room he was again greeted by the sight of Raya asleep on the couch as she had done every night when he was out on patrol. Raya had gotten into the habit of waiting for him to return to the farm before she herself would go to bed. Having Raya at the farm with him had been both a blessing and a curse. A blessing that he had another like himself who he could talk to openly but a curse because she was like him.

Because she was a Kryptonian like himself he had found himself drawn to her in a way that was slowly driving him nuts. From a biological standpoint he wasn't drawn to human pheromones and they had no effect on him but Raya was a completely different story all together. His body responded to her in a way that he was finding difficult to control and his enhanced senses made things ten times worse.

Clark could remember when the replicants from the Orb showed up that he found himself drawn to them especially Faora which considering that he knew the original Faora was just as twisted as Zod surprised him. But there again Clark also knew that the Faora he knew hadn't been corrupted by Zod the way the original had. That knowledge though wasn't exactly helping with his current problem.

Letting out a small sigh Clark walked over to the couch and like he had done many nights before carefully picked the blond Kryptonian up who again instantly snuggled closer to him before he carefully took her to his room.

Once Clark got Raya into bed he went back down stairs and laid down on the couch. After a few moments of getting himself comfortable he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

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Lana awoke in her room at her aunts house and let out a sigh as she sat up and looked over at the clock. In just a few hours she would be getting on a plane to Paris as she had decided to get away from everything for a while.

Despite everything that had happened over the past few months though she had to admit to herself that for the first time in years she felt at peace with herself. This time she was leaving for Paris not because she was running away from Clark as she had done in the past but because she realised that she didn't really know where her life was heading and that she needed to find out who she was.

Things with Clark over the past few weeks had been different as well. She now understood that they could never be together in the way that she wanted despite the fact that she knew she still loved him deeply. He was her first real love and nothing could ever take that away from them but she also knew that holding onto each other would end badly. She would always love him she knew that without a doubt as well and perhaps that was one of the reasons she needed to leave. Not because she still loved him but to find out who she could really be without him. That was the question that she didn't have an answer to and it was something she needed to figure out for herself.

Letting out another sigh Lana kicked her legs over the side of the bed and stood up before stretching out while stifling a yawn. Today would be a good she thought to herself as she remembered that she was meeting Clark, Chloe and Lois for lunch before Clark takes her to the airport.

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Bruce Wayne sat down to read the early morning paper and quickly flipped through the pages until he got to the business section only to come to a complete stop as he took note of a headline that caught him by complete surprise. There in front of him written in black and white were details that were confusing him as what he saw didn't make any sense to him. Swann Technology And Research had been handed over to a person he had never heard of before.

_=News Clip=_

_Late last night the technology industry received a big shock as Patricia Swann daughter of the famous Virgil Swann announced that Swann Technology And Research also known as STAR Labs had been handed over to the son of Kansas State Senator Martha Kent. The Senator's son Clark Kent as of this morning has ownership of STAR Labs. As of yet there has been no comments from Mr Kent and Miss Swann's only statement regarding the young man stated that he was an unofficial student of her fathers and that he had wanted the young man to take over STAR Labs but didn't have a chance to change his will before his death._

_It should also be noted that since Virgil Swann's death in 2004 several international businesses have tried to purchase STAR Labs with no success. Some of these companies include LUTHOR CORP, WAYNE ENTERPRISES and QUEEN INDUSTRIES. How these companies will take to the news that STAR Labs now has a new owner is anyone's guess. All that is known for certain at the moment is that Mr Kent has just been given total control of a research company that has been responsible for a lot of the major technological breakthroughs over the past decade._

_STAR Labs is not a company open to public trading as it's revenue comes from the sale of technology that is developed there. From what little is known about why Virgil Swann created STAR Labs it is believed that he had wanted a research company dedicated purely to the advancement of scientific knowledge without the hindrance of keeping shareholders happy. STAR Labs itself also has no ties to any government or military organisation despite the fact that several governments throughout the world benefit from the technology developed there._

_One thing is certain at this time and that is that Mr Kent will have an interesting future ahead of him. The one question that many may ask though is can Mr Kent keep STAR Labs operating the way that the late Virgil Swann had envisioned._

_This coming Friday at STAR Labs Metropolis there will be an opening ceremony for Mr Kent and we can only guess that several of the worlds most powerful business leaders will be there in an attempt to gain some kind of influence with the new owner._

_=End News Clip=_

Putting the newspaper down Bruce had to admit to himself that he was more than a little confused. Since his return to Gotham a year ago he had tried several times to buy Star Labs but was turned away after being told that it would stay under the control of the Swann family no matter what.

Deciding that he needed to find out what he could about this Clark Kent, Bruce decided that he would go to Metropolis on Friday and meet the young man. There was just something about this situation that wasn't sitting right with him and he was going to find out what was going on.

As Bruce was making his plans Lex Luthor sat in office at his mansion after throwing his glass at the wall above the fireplace in anger as once again Clark Kent had managed to get his hands on something that he wanted for himself. Lex swore to himself he would one day find a way to make Clark pay for all he has done.

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Clark, Lana, Chloe and Lois sat outside a small café in Metropolis talking and laughing about the past. They all knew that today would be the last time that all of them were together like this as Lana would be getting on a plane to Paris in little while.

As the conversations went on each of them were thinking about the past and how things between them had been. For Lois she remembered the first time she met Lana when she went to the cemetery to dig up Chloe's grave to find out if what Clark said was right and that there was no body inside it. She could remember being attacked by that Terminator wannabe before Lana showed up and sprayed mace in his face. In truth Lois had to admit that she often had mixed feelings regarding the other brunette largely because of the way she seemed to treat Clark. She would never admit it out loud but she had hated the way Clark would let Lana walk all over him. She could remember when Lana was with Jason and how the brunette blamed and accused Clark of outing their relationship just because he knew about them being together. The other thing that annoyed Lois was the way Lana would hold Clark's secret over his head all the time. Ok granted it turned out that Clark's secret was a huge one but she believed that if Lana hadn't been constantly pressuring him that he would have told her about himself a lot sooner than what he had. But saying that Lois had to admit that in the last month she had gotten to see a Lana that she didn't know existed and she had to admit to herself that she liked this Lana a whole lot more than the old one.

As for Chloe her thoughts regarding Lana were all mixed up with a lot of memories from the past. At first during high school they were just acquaintances until the brunette struck up a friendship with Clark. It surprised Chloe that Lana wasn't the stuck up cheerleader that she thought the girl was and despite the ups and downs over the past few years her friendship with Lana was something she wouldn't trade for anything. Chloe could still remember when they were asked to do a family tree as a school project where she listed Lana as her sister and to this day that feeling was still there.

For Clark his thoughts about Lana were quite different because for him she had been dead for well over a decade due to Kryptonite poisoning. He wasn't thinking much on the past and in truth it was something that he tried hard not to do. For him thinking about the past meant remembering all the people he had lost and despite travelling back in time and hopefully changing that future it still happened from his perspective. It was something that he would live with for the rest of his life but he was also thankful that he might have changed Lana's fate for the better. He often wondered though if he ever would have become Superman had Lana not put on that suit and as he thought about it he realised he probably wouldn't have. He knew he would probably carried on saving people but he also knew that he would have stayed in the shadows as the blur. It was a sad thing to admit but his feelings for Lana had been based around a desire to be human. But now as he looked at Lana he felt a sense of hope for her and he believed that she had the potential to do some great things for the world even if she would not have any powers this time around.

Lana's thoughts were centred mostly around Clark as she thought about how much she was going to miss him while she was in Paris. Granted she knew all she had to do was pick up a phone and he would be there in minutes but she knew she couldn't call him. It would be to much of a temptation to ask him to come and see her, that was why she had told Clark she would only e-mail him every now and then. They had both had a long conversation when she told him that she was going back to Paris and she told him that for now she needed to keep contact between them at a minimum. She still loved him too much but she also realised she needed to let him go and that's what she told him she had to do. She needed to find out who she was and she couldn't do that around him. Of course Clark being Clark understood and even agreed with her but he also made it clear that he still wanted to hear of her every now and then just to know that she was alright. That Lana knew she could live with and in truth she didn't want to cut Clark out of her life completely so for now she would just e-mail him once or twice a month to let him know she was alright.

As lunch came to an end the four of them realised that they didn't know what to say but then Clark remembered something that he had in his jacket pocket. Turning his attention to Lana he reached into his pocket and pulled out a jewellery case and handed it to the brunette. "When I was going through my room last week I found this in the draw…It's something that belongs to you"

Lana looked at Clark in confusion for a few seconds before taking the jewellery case in her hands. As she opened in she gasped in shock before a look of confusion set on her face. "Clark…Is this my necklace" She asked as she took it out of the case leaving in hanging of her index finger. It was the necklace that her aunt Nell had made for out of a piece of the Meteor that had killed her parents as a child. What was confusing her though was that the once green stone was now completely clear in colour.

Clark could see her confusion so he decided to clear some things up "When Tina Greer pretended to be Whitney she used the necklace to overpower me…She left the necklace on me and trapped me in the storm cellar at the farm…What she didn't know though was that my ship was in there and just before the kryptonite killed me the ship activated and sent out a burst of energy…When I got back to my feet I took the necklace off and noticed that it wasn't glowing anymore and realised that the ship somehow neutralised the radiation…I had wanted to give it back to you but at the time I couldn't because it would have raised to many questions….Now that you know the truth about me I thought it was time you had it back" With that said Clark stood up and walked behind Lana taking her necklace from her before carefully bringing it up around her neck and clipping it together from behind her. Once done Clark went back to his seat and sat back down while Lana took hold of the necklace that was now around her neck with a smile on her face.

"Thank you Clark…I often wondered what happened to it" Lana said with a smile on her face before glancing over to her right to see Raya approaching with several bags.

Clark looked in the direction of where Lana was looking and a small smile formed on his face as he saw the blond Kryptonian approaching. "Hey Raya…How'd the shopping trip go"

Raya approached Clark and grabbed a chair from the next table and placed it next to him before sitting down and answering his question. "I must admit that I quite enjoyed shopping for clothes…Such a thing was not really a requirement on Krypton as fashion was not something that we were concerned about…For us clothing was simply about function and not fashion…but I must say that it was a rather enjoyable experience…Next time Kal I think you should come with me" As those words left her mouth Clark groaned and the three other women at the table started to chuckle. Confused by what was going on the only thing she could do was ask what was going on to which Chloe responded by telling her that Clark was not one for shopping and that he would probably rather be tied to a pole made of Kryptonite that spend hours going around a shopping mall. The only problem with that statement though was that Raya knew she needed a dress for Friday night and was hoping that Kal would go with her and help her to pick something. She wanted something that was appropriate for the event they were going to but also something that Kal might like seeing her in. "Kal…There is still one item of clothing I need to get…I need a dress for Friday but am uncertain of what type of dress would be appropriate for that sort of event"

Clark was about to respond when Lana spoke up "What event" she asked.

This was actually something that he was hoping to avoid at the moment and it was a conversation he wasn't looking forward to having. In fact by nine thirty that morning he had had about thirty phone calls from various news companies trying to get a statement out of him about taking over Star Labs. In truth he hadn't wanted to take it over at all and he had only gone to New York to see Patricia to get access to Star Labs. For some reason though she had been insistent that he take it over after a very long conversation about why he had wanted access to the place. From a certain point of view Patricia's argument for him taking over Star Labs actually made sense but a part of him had wanted to go back into journalism but now having to run a business would make that difficult. He had decided though that maybe he could do a bit of writing freelance as he missed working at the Daily Planet.

Realising that the people at the table were waiting for him to answer he decided that perhaps he should tell them. But he would only tell them what Patricia had said "As of today I am officially the new owner of Star Labs…Virgil Swann created Star Labs years ago after he first translated the messages sent from Krypton and learned that a child had been sent here…He created it in the hope of helping me as well as advancing scientific knowledge in general...Virgil was planning on leaving it to me but died before he had a chance to change his will and when I was talking to his daughter a few weeks ago she told me that she was handing control and ownership over to me…I tried to talk her out of it but she was a insistent so I eventually agreed…Anyway Friday they are holding an event celebrating my takeover"

"And you were going to invite all of us I take it" Chloe said with a smile on her face despite being completely shocked over the news that he best friend just became a very rich man.

"Actually Chlo I was only going to invite you" He answered and taking note of everyone's expression he decided to clarify his meaning "I didn't see the point in mentioning anything until later…Since Lana's leaving for Paris today I didn't see the need to bring it up" Turning his attention to Lois "I didn't see the point in asking you because Oliver will probably be there and take you with him" Then turning his attention back to Chloe "I was going to come by the Planet later and ask if you wanted to go and to tell you that you could bring Jimmy along with you as well…And as for Raya here" He said gesturing to the blond Kryptonian sitting next to him "It would be a good chance for her to interact with some of the snobs in Metropolis…And I think that it would be nice to have someone there I can talk to who isn't going to bore the crap out of me"

As soon as Clark finished speaking all three humans started shooting questions at him.

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After lunch Chloe and Lois decided that they would help Raya by taking her shopping for a dress as well as getting something for themselves. While they were doing that Clark and Lana stood in the airport terminal waiting for the young brunettes plane to start boarding. Since the others had all gone of due to Lana asking them to give her and Clark a chance to say goodbye the two had fallen into comfortable conversation.

Just as the announcement came that Lana's plane to New York was starting to board the two of them got up of their chairs and made their way through the airport to where her planes boarding area was. As they arrived they both heard the voice of someone they were both hoping not to hear. "Should have known you'd be here Clark"

Both Lana and Clark turned to the source of the voice and saw Lex standing there looking at the pair with annoyance written all over his face. "Lex what are you doing here" Lana asked with suspicion in her voice.

"Well I heard from Nell and she said you were leaving for Paris…I must admit Lana I'm surprised you'd want to go back there after all this time"

"Well Lex…I decided that I needed to find out who I am which I cant do here…I loved Paris and decided to go back there for a while" Lana said in response to Lex's statement.

"And you couldn't go without having one last moment with Clark I see" With that Lex shook his head slightly and let out a small sigh "Even after everything he's put you through you just cant seem to let him go can you" Turning his attention to Clark he stared daggers at his former friend "Don't you think you've done enough to Lana over the years…Even Nell can see the negative effect you have on her"

"Lex for christ sake grow up and stop throwing a temper tantrum because I broke up with you…I told you before that my reason's for ending our relationship had nothing to do with Clark…I'm not ready to commit myself to another relationship at the moment and this constant grudge you seem to have against Clark isn't helping either…It's only making me see that it was a mistake to get involved with you in the first place" By this point Lana's anger was steadily on the rise it still didn't help that she had Clark's memories of the night she died and being around Lex was making her feel slightly ill. Shaking her head out of that thought though she turned her full attention to Lex before taking a few steps towards him "Now Lex if you don't mind I would like to say goodbye to Clark so can you please go" With that she turned around but as she started to walk away Lex grabbed her arm.

Holding onto her arm tightly Lex spun her back around to face him. "After everything I have done for you…You betray me" Leaning into her he whispered into her ear "I don't take betrayal very well…." Before Lex could say anything else though he suddenly found himself being choked as Clark's hand grabbed him around his throat in a vice like grip which caused him to let Lana go.

Still holding onto Lex's throat Clark pulled his former friend close to him "Take my advise Lex and leave…Pissing me off is not a good idea…And the next time you grab Lana like that I will take your head off" With that said Clark give Lex a gently push sending the bald billionaire to the floor. Turning his attention to Lana he walked up to her "Are you Ok"

"Yeah I'm fine Clark…Thanks" Unfortunately before she could say anything else another announcement came over the speakers telling Lana she only had a few minutes left to get to the gate. Realising she only had a few moments left and that she would not see Clark again for a long time she decided to do something that she had wanted to do for weeks. Wrapping her right arm around his neck she pulled his head down to her as she got up on her tip toes and kissed him with all the love and passion she had.

For Clark the moment their lips made contact it caused a flash of memories to go through his mind. Every memory of every kiss the two of them had shared in the past came rushing back to him and in a move that surprised even him he grabbed onto Lana's waist and pulled her even closer to him causing her back to arch back slightly. It was more than just a simple kiss. It was a kiss between to lovers that knew that they would not have a moment like this again between them. It was a kiss that conveyed their love for one another as well as a kiss that said they would always love each other but also said goodbye.

For Lana as their kiss went on she realised that nobody else in the world would ever really be enough for her. Clark owned her heart and soul and anyone else would always be second best. But she knew this was the way things had to be and even though this is the last kiss they would share like this she was happy in the knowledge that she could say that she was Clark's first love and nothing would take that away from them. She would love him for the rest of her life but they both had to move on. This one last kiss between them showed the other that no matter what they would always carry a piece of the other with them.

After what seamed like an eternity to them both Clark and Lana pulled away from each other and stared each other in the eyes. A second later Lana brought her right hand up and rested it on Clark's cheek. "I'll always love you Clark no matter what you'll always be with me….Goodbye" With that Lana turned around and made her way to the boarding area as tears began to run down her face.

By this time Lex had gotten back to his feet and had watched the kiss shared between Clark and Lana with nothing but rage. Turning around he stormed away from Clark swearing that he would have his vengeance on Clark if it was the last thing he did in this life.

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While Clark and Lana were saying their goodbyes at the airport Raya, Chloe and Lois were walking around the Mall looking for clothes to wear to the event on Friday. It had been nearly two hours since Clark and Lana had left and so far Chloe and Lois had found dresses for themselves but Raya was finding it difficult to choose something for herself. In truth she didn't know much about human fashion and the clothes she had bought earlier were just picked out for pure comfort with no thought to how people might see it. "I still don't understand the need for clothes based around a sense of fashion"

"Well I guess I don't really understand the concept of fashion either…Personally I just like to wear clothes that I think look good on me and I don't really take into consideration what others might think" Chloe responded to Raya's statement "Are you sure that there's nothing here you like"

Raya took one last look around the store they were in and still hadn't seen anything that she thought would look good on her and attract Kal's attention. "No I still haven't seen anything that I think fit's my needs"

Lois for her part was actually getting a little frustrated with the blond Kryptonian. She could understand that Raya was from another planet and had a different sense of style to what was on Earth but for the life of her she couldn't figure out why nearly all the dresses they looked at the Kryptonian would say no to. As Lois let out a small sigh a thought popped into her head. "Hey I got an idea…There's a small clothing store about ten minutes from here where the owner designs her own clothes…They got some pretty good stuff there and they might have a dress there that Raya might like"

All three of them decided that it might be a good idea since nothing else seemed to take the Kryptonian's fancy. So with that in mind the three of them left the mall heading towards the small shop Lois had mentioned.

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Oliver looked up from his desk to see Clark getting off the lift "Ah Clark I was wondering when you were going to show up"

"I would have been by earlier but I went out for lunch with Lana before taking her to the airport…What did you want anyway"

"Oh just to chat…I was a little more than surprised when I was reading the morning paper and found out that you're the new owner of Star Labs"

Clark let out a groan at that and he was already starting to hate the fact that everyone knew about his new position in life "Yeah well if I could have talked Patricia out of it I would have…She's as stubborn as her father was"

"So you did know Virgil after all…I gotta tell you Clark your full of surprises…Super powers…now owning one of the most influential research companies in the world…It's quite a step up from being a farm boy in Kansas"

Clark could tell what Oliver was doing and it was times like this the blond billionaire could really annoy him "Oliver if you have something you want to say just say it…I'm really not in the mood for all that crap today"

"Ok Clark" Oliver said as he stood up from behind his desk and walking round to lean back against the other side crossing his arms around his chest "I've tried several times to buy Star Labs since Virgil's death…I know why he really created it in the first place but Patricia was adamant that she would not allow anyone else to take control of it no matter what…What I find surprising is that you suddenly come along and then Patricia just hands it over to you on a silver platter"

Letting out a sigh of his own he knew he could trust Oliver with the truth about who and what he was so with that in mind he looked the bald billionaire square in the eye "You know about Veritas right" Clark asked to which Oliver nodded despite being a little shocked that Clark knew about it "Well I am that Child that was sent to Earth" As those words left his mouth Oliver's jaw literally dropped in shock.

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There you go people Part 1 of Chapter 2 is up so let me know what you think.

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	5. Chapter 2 Part 2

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**Rise and Fall**

**Chapter 2 Part 2**

Oliver's head was still swimming with the revelation that Clark had dropped on him just a few days ago. Despite Clark's powers he was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that the Farm Boy was an alien from another galaxy. At one point the blond billionaire just burst out in laughter over it and found it quite funny that Clark could be an Alien. As far as Oliver was concerned Clark despite his powers was just too normal to be an Alien.

Walking through the main entrance to Star Labs Oliver was greeted by Emil Hamilton who worked for him part time while working for Star Labs in Star City. Oliver had actually suggested to Clark that Emil be transferred after the two had had a long conversation a few days earlier. "Hey Emil…It's good to see you"

"Likewise Oliver…But I must admit I wasn't expecting to be called here…And I'm more surprised that you're here as well"

"Well lets just say that your new boss has a job offer for you and leave it at that for now" Oliver responded with a slight smirk as he new why Clark had asked Emil to come to Metropolis. With that said though the two made their way to the reception desk where they were greeted by a nice blond woman who Oliver may have asked out if he wasn't with Lois. "Can you tell Mr Kent that Oliver Queen and Emil Hamilton are here to see him"

The receptionist looked up at the two men before looking over at the computer screen before checking the appointment time. She had to admit to herself that she liked her new boss and he didn't seem to be arrogant like a lot of the scientists that worked there. Coming out of her thoughts she looked back up at the two men and told them to go ahead and that Clark or Mr Kent as the receptionist called him was waiting in his office for them.

Clark was sitting behind his desk reading over what felt like the hundredth report that morning. Since taking over Star Labs a few days earlier he had been trying to get up to speed with all the research going on at the different sites. Most of the stuff he was reading was a bunch of science project filled with nothing but technobabble which thankfully due to his training in the fortress for the last twenty years he was easily able to understand.

He had to admit that he found some of the research projects to be quite interesting and he had even had a few laughs at some of the theoretical models that some of the scientists had come up with. There were scientific theories there which were ahead of a lot of current human knowledge which with a few tweaks could end up being the base for a whole generation of new technology. But unfortunately he knew he couldn't help them with their theories and he knew that he would be walking a very fine line. Advancing Human technology beyond their current capabilities could be disastrous so he would have to be careful.

As Clark put down another report he got a call from the receptionist, a nice young blond woman in her early twenties by the name of Amy Ford telling him that Oliver and Emil had arrived for their appointment. _This is where things get tricky_. He thought to himself as he knew he couldn't give any indication that he knew Emil and he considered the doctor one of his closest friends before he too was killed. Letting out a sigh he told the receptionist to tell them to come straight in.

Standing up from behind his desk Clark walked around the other side just as Oliver and Emil entered the room. As the two approached him Clark extended his right hand and greeted Oliver before turning his attention to Emil. "Dr Hamilton…It's a pleasure to meet you" Clark said as he extended his hand to the doctor.

Emil looked at Clark for a second before taking the young man's hand and shaking it. "It's good to meet you as well…Although I am curious as to why you asked me to come here from Star City"

Clark told the two men to take a seat which they did as he just leant against his desk "The reason I asked you to come here is because I would like you to consider moving out here to head up a new department that I am putting together with the help of Oliver"

Emil's head turned to look at Oliver and the blond billionaire took that as his cue to speak "Emil…Clark here knows all about my extracurricular activities…He's also knows Bart, Victor and AC for a while and from what they've told me he's bailed them all out of trouble with Lex over the years"

"How interesting" Emil said back with a little bit of shock in his voice before turning his attention back to Clark "What is it that you want me to do"

"Well Oliver and I talked a few days ago and came to a decision about something…That said to do what we have planned we're going to need people we can trust and Oliver trusts you with his other job so it makes sense to offer you the job that I have planned" Clark answered before nodding in Oliver's direction.

Oliver sat upright in his seat and turned his attention back to Emil "When I started to put my team together I did it purely for the reason of stopping Lex but Clark had another idea which I think is worth it and if we do what we plan right it could benefit the entire world"

"We are going to keep the team together and even expand on what Oliver has already started" Clark said cutting in on Oliver. "But if we are going to do this then we need a doctor that can work with people who have abilities that normal humans don't have…Someone who wouldn't try to exploit their powers for their own gain…If we do expand on what Oliver has already started we need someone who can do medical tests on members of our team…Nothing invasive just simple medical examinations to make sure that none of the members are running themselves down…Also someone who can be called in if a team member is injured"

"That said though Emil…We also need someone who can run medical checkups on people who have been experimented on…The victims of Lex's 33.1 are a prime example…We don't know what he's doing to his test subjects and I'm sure that there are several governments around the world that will exploit and experiment on those who have abilities" Oliver piped in. Even though he didn't want to lose Emil in Star City he knew that Clark was right and that someone like Emil would be needed and being tied to Star Labs instead of Queen Industries would work better if anyone is ever exposed.

Emil sat there in deep thought for as he thought over what Clark and Oliver were saying. The scientist in him thought that this would be a great opportunity to get a better understanding of human's with abilities beyond those of normal people. He also couldn't deny that they were both right in their statements that there would be many people who would exploit these individuals despite the ethics of doing such things. There was one other question on his mind at the moment and the answer to which would decide whether or not he takes the job "Why have you decided to expand on what Oliver has already started" He finally asked.

Clark looked at Oliver for a second before turning his attention back to Emil "Oliver is a prime example of why…When he and his team finish with Lex's 33.1 he will go back to Star City and fight crime there…That said though he will be alone without backup…By expanding the team even if everyone involved stays within their own city should a situation arise that they cant deal with alone they can call for backup…That way no one person is ever alone and even if they get in trouble they'll know that help is on the way"

Emil again sat there in thought thinking over what he was being told. He had to admit that Clark was right and that Oliver would return to Star City and fight alone. With that in mind he knew having some kind of group that can act as backup would be of great benefit. Taking that into consideration he made his decision. "I must admit that I find this idea of yours intriguing and if Oliver has no objections then I will take the job and move here full time"

"I'm glad to hear that" Clark said back with a smile "From your file I know you like to work in a hospital on a part time basis as well…Since you will be running your own department here if you can work out a timetable that allows you to continue that work I don't have any problems with it…There is one other job here as well that I would like you to be a part of…I am also setting up two more departments…One is working with the development of new technology…That department will be run by a friend of mine that starts on Monday…But there is another department that she will also be running with you if you decide to take on this second assignment as well…It's up to you if you want to be involved with it or not"

"What is this other department" Oliver asked before Emil had a chance to because this was the first time he was hearing about this as well.

"Well I've been thinking that since we are going to expand on your team Oliver…Perhaps we should start developing equipment to be used by us…This way there are absolutely no ties to you or Queen Industries…Those arrows of yours for example are virtually untraceable until you start looking at companies that have the equipment to make them…You did a good job of hiding it but I traced your arrows back to a small company that you bought out two years ago"

"Oh" Was all Oliver said in response.

Emil was again intrigued by Clark's decision to put a team together purely for making equipment for Oliver's team, though if they do expand it wont simply be Oliver's team. The concept of developing the tech they would use was also a very appealing idea. "What will my role be within this department" He finally asked.

Clark focused all his attention on Emil "You and the other person I have in mind for this job will both be the division heads…You will both need to pick members to form that department…One thing though I don't want anyone from outside Star Labs to be brought in…Virgil had a very strict screening process when he first started so I want to keep this in house where we know that the people involved can be trusted…You will also need to recruit in house for you own department as well" With that said and with Emil's agreement on taking the job Clark started discussing what the doctor would need in terms of equipment and man power.

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As the evening approached Raya stood in Clark's bedroom looking at herself in the mirror and realised that she was quite nervous about the event that night at Star Labs. Since Kal had rescued her from the Phantom Zone she hadn't interacted with a large crowd. In fact since her release from the zone she had kept the number of people she interacted with as small as possible. She had grown so accustomed to isolation that she didn't like large crowds and now she realised she was going to be packed into a room with dozens of people she didn't know.

If she was honest with herself she would say that she was afraid which she also knew was a ridiculous notion considering the powers she now possesses but she just couldn't seem to shake the fear she was feeling. Her Kryptonian mind was working overtime trying to placate that fear by telling her that she was in no danger from the people she would encounter but it wasn't enough.

She was still going to the event at Star Labs as she knew she had to face this fear she was feeling head on and she could only hope she didn't do anything stupid in the heat of the moment that could expose both herself or Kal.

Letting out a small sigh she turned from the mirror and headed towards the bathroom to grab a quick shower before getting ready. Kal would be arriving soon and the Limo would be taking them both to the Talon to pick up Chloe before taking them to Metropolis where they would then pick up Jimmy before heading towards Star Labs.

When Clark arrived back at the farm he knew Raya was in his room changing and thankfully he had thought ahead and left a change of clothing downstairs ready for him to change into. He had decided to go with a formal look since most people would be wearing suits so he had managed to buy one the previous day. Knowing Raya was getting herself ready he just spoke in a normal tone knowing she could hear him and told her that he was going to grab a quick shower before getting changed himself.

Clark's shower took all of about ten seconds before he was downstairs and getting dressed when he heard his bedroom door opening. Turning towards the stairs his heart almost came to a complete stop as Raya made her way down them.

As Raya came to a stop at the bottom of the stairs she turned to face him and Clark could do nothing but stare at her. She was wearing a dark blue dress with a single shoulder strap going over her left shoulder. The front of the dress started just at the top her breasts and formed around them perfectly. As Clark looked her over he could see that the mid section of the dress was cut away on both sides of her stomach leaving a nice view of her sides. Clark could remember that she had a few scars over her stomach but the yellow sun's effects on her had completely healed the scar tissue. As for the bottom of the dress it had a full length skirt with a singular slice up the front of her right leg that came to a stop about half way up her thigh. As for her hair it was slightly wavy and reached around over the front of her left shoulder. In truth Clark had to admit to himself that he had never seen or thought she could be as beautiful as she was right at this moment.

Before Clark had a chance to speak there was a nock on the door and Raya immediately turned to answer it and when she did he was given the chance to see the back of the dress. Her back was completely exposed except for a strap that went from her breast line and seemed to be clasped together between her shoulder blades along with two small straps that seemed to connect to it from around her left shoulder. Clark could again do nothing but stare at her flawless skin that only a few weeks ago had been marked by scars from her years in the zone.

As Raya answered the door she could feel Kal watching her and in a way it was turning her on. Since her release from the zone she had found herself more and more attracted to him and she was quite happy with the reaction she was getting from him. As the front door opened a man stood there and said he was here to pick her and Kal up to take them to Metropolis. Turning around she looked over at Kal and noticed that his eyes were glowing faintly indicating that the sight of her was exciting him. Shaking her head slightly she fought off a blush and told Kal the limo had arrived.

Hearing the limo had arrived Clark let out a sigh and followed Raya out of the house and as the two made their way to the limo he found himself unable to take his eyes off her ass which looked absolutely amazing in the dress she was wearing. _This is going to be a very interesting night. Maybe I should take a pair of sunglasses with me_. Clark thought to himself as he was well aware of the fact that looking at Raya was triggering his heat vision.

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Arriving at Star Labs Clark was surprised by the amount of press that was outside and it confused him to no end. He wasn't a celebrity or anyone famous so why the press would be out in force just didn't seem to make any sense to him. Thankfully his experience as both a journalist and his time spent with the press during his superman days made it easier for him to know how to handle things. He had decided that he wasn't going to do any interviews for the time being until he had a chance to catch up on what was happening within Star Labs.

When the driver of the limo opened the door Clark was the first to get out. Once out of the limo he extended his hand to Raya who took hold of it as Clark pulled her gently up towards him. Next out was Jimmy who just like Clark extended his hand for Chloe to grab onto which she gratefully did.

With all four of them out of the limo they ignored the press that were there and made their way into Star Labs hoping that this night would turn out ok. There was one thing that Clark had noticed though and that was Raya's heartbeat had started to gain in speed. Glancing over at her he noticed her eyes and he could see she was nervous and possibly even afraid. With that in mind he told Chloe and Jimmy to go on ahead Before telling Raya to follow him.

The two Kryptonians made their way into an office just down from the dining hall where everyone was going to be and as soon as they entered the office Clark turned and locked the door before turning all his attention to Raya. "Raya what's wrong" He asked straight out knowing that she would probably try to deflect his concerns.

"Noting is wrong Kal…I am fine" She responded which got a small sigh from Clark.

"Raya the second we entered the building your heart rate almost doubled and I could see it in your eyes that there's something wrong" Clark said back keeping his eyes focused on hers.

Raya looked back into Kal's eyes and she could see the genuine concern he had for her. Closing her eyes for a second she let out an almost shaky breath before looking back at him. "I don't know why but the thought of being in a room with so many people in a confined space is making me feel very uncomfortable and even afraid" She knew it made no sense to be feeling what she was feeling but she just couldn't get rid of the feelings she had.

_I was wondering how long it would take before things started showing_. Clark thought to himself as he now understood what was going on with her. Raya may not want to admit it but being trapped alone inside a prison full of the universes most dangerous people for two decades would have an effect on someone. Especially someone who had a good heart like she did. Closing the gap between them Clark brought his right hand up to the side of her face and again fixed his eyes on hers. "Raya you spent nearly twenty years alone surrounded by the universes most dangerous criminals…Even knowing the powers you possess there are going to be emotional scars there that you wont be able to get rid of that easily"

"I just don't understand why I am feeling what I'm feeling…It makes no sense" Raya said back in response as she really didn't understand the fear she was feeling.

Moving his hand from her face Clark paced it on her shoulder but kept eye contact with her "If we were in the zone right now and came across a large group of zoners what would you do"

"I would avoid them at all costs…Encountering a large group within the zone is a death sentence" Raya immediately responded knowing that a large group only forms when they are hunting the wasteland together and any sole individual would be killed without mercy.

"Twenty years living like that is part of the person you've become…Even with the powers you now have and even knowing that the people here aren't a threat that survival instinct is still there…It's not something that you can get rid of easily…Trust me I know all to well how the habits we have don't change overnight just because we do"

"What do you mean" Raya asked in regards to Kal's last statement.

Clark let out a small sigh as a memory popped into his head "Just after I graduated high school Jor-El took away my powers and made me human…Anyway several weeks later some kid killed his father and kidnapped Chloe…Chloe and I had a chance to stop him but he grabbed Chloe and turned his gun on me" Clark let out yet another sigh from the memory as he still couldn't believe how stupid he had been back when he was a teenager the first time around. "When he pulled the gun on me I didn't even flinch because in that moment I forgot that I was mortal and that I could be shot…I can still remember feeling the confusion over the fact that the bullet hurt and it didn't make sense…I guess the moral of the story is that even when we know things are different to what they used to be we tend to forget that things are different and we act as if noting has changed even though they have…The experiences and habits you picked up in the zone will effect you in the same way even though things are different here to what they are there"

Raya stood there for what seemed like an eternity thinking over everything that Kal had said to her. As she thought about it she realised that what he was saying made a lot of sense and that she was still reacting to certain situations the same way she would if she was still inside the zone. The only problem was though she wasn't sure how to get passed the feeling of fear she had. "Even though I know what your saying may be right I still don't know how to get passed this fear I am feeling"

Clark give her a worm smile before taking his hand from her shoulder before moving next to her which caused her to look to her left. Without any real thought Clark took her left hand in his right one and laced his fingers through hers. "There is one big difference between being in the zone and being here…Your not alone"

Raya looked down at their now entwined hands and she could feel the hear radiating between them. Looking back up at Kal she looked into his eyes as he looked into hers and for the first time felt a real connection to him and it was a connection she felt went beyond a simple attraction. "Thank you Kal…Thank you for this" She wanted to say more but decided that now might not be the best time and she realised that they needed to get going "We should go and meet with the others"

"You sure" Clark asked back.

Giving his hand a slight squeeze Raya nodded "Yes and as you said things are different here and I am not alone"

With that said they both decided to make their way to the others so they both walked out of the office and made their way through to building. As they were walking along they both were hit with the same feeling and that was a feeling that told them that in those few minutes in that office something had drastically changed between them.

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There you go people Part 2 of Chapter 2 is up so let me know what you think.

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	6. Chapter 2 Part 3

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**Rise and Fall**

**Chapter 2 Part 3**

Clark and Raya walked into the large dining hall hand in hand and they both had a lot of things running through their mind. For Raya she was thinking about how Kal made her feel completely safe. It often amazed her how much like his parents he really was and she couldn't help but wonder what would have happened had Krypton never exploded. To her Kal was a perfect blend of his parents. He had Jor-El's strength but Lara's heart and she knew that if they were both alive to see the man he had become that they would both be proud of him. The other thing that Raya couldn't take her mind off though was the feeling of Kal's hand on hers and the heat that radiated from it. Since her release from the zone she had found herself wanting him more and more and for the first time she could tell that he wanted more from her as well. Up until now she hadn't wanted to put any kind of pressure on him as she knew he was still trying to sort his own feelings out. From what she knew the three people he had loved had all died in the timeline he came from but because of him travelling back in time they were each very much alive. Over the past few weeks she had woken in the middle of the night a few times and would often hear him talking in his sleep.

Although there were three people he had loved with all his heart only two of them really stood out and that was Lois and another woman by the name of Diana. She knew Kal loved Lana as well but he had told her that their relationship was two complicated to ever really work and it took him a long time to come to terms with it. As for Lois she knew Kal was married to her and that she was killed in a car bombing. Then there was this Diana and whoever this woman was she was something special to him and whenever she asked him about her he would change the subject. This Diana whoever she was had a power over him that even she couldn't understand and the only thing Kal would tell her about this woman was that she was the one that had saved him from himself. In truth Raya didn't understand what that meant and she could only hope that one day he would be comfortable enough to talk to her.

As for Clark his thoughts were centred around the changes his life had taken over the past seven weeks or so. He knew travelling back in time would change things but he hadn't expected to be drawn to Raya the way he was. Feeling the warmth of her hand in his was a reminder that they were the same right down to their DNA and it was an interesting feeling to say the least. He could remember when Raya first came into his life in the other timeline and it was the first time he had ever encountered anything good that came from Krypton. In the short time he had known her in the other timeline she had changed him from the boy that feared being a Kryptonian to someone that was starting to understand that being Kryptonian wasn't necessarily a bad thing. But now though things were different and that she was here and could be here for a very long time and despite any unresolved feeling he may have where Lois and Diana were concerned he felt a sense of peace he hadn't known in a long time. It also left a question of where does he go from here.

Both coming out of their thoughts they looked around the room and saw Chloe and Jimmy talking with Martha who had arrived with Lionel. Walking over to them they kept their hands tightly gripped in the others.

Martha was enjoying her conversation with Chloe and Jimmy when she happened to glance over towards the door and saw Clark and Raya enter the room. Looking at the two of them it only took a second to notice that their hands were entwined in a tight grip and Martha could only let out a small sigh. She still wasn't comfortable with how close her son and the Kryptonian had become but after a long talk with Lionel she knew she was just letting her fears of loosing Clark effect her judgment. In the past several weeks she had gotten to know Raya and she had to admit that she liked the young woman. The other thing she had to admit was that Raya and Clark were alike and because of that they would gravitate towards each other. "Clark…Raya is everything alright…Chloe said that you two needed to go and talk about something"

Both Clark and Raya looked at each other before the blond Kryptonian turned her attention back to Martha. "I am not one for large crowds in such a confined space…Clark pulled me aside so I could clear my head"

_Oh that wasn't the response I was thinking I would get._ Martha thought to herself but she could see it in the Kryptonians eyes that she was being truthful and wasn't completely comfortable. As she looked at her son she noticed that he took a step closer to Raya and the blond seemed to relax a bit more and in that moment she could also tell that the young woman was fighting off fear as well. "Raya will you be ok" She finally asked with genuine concern.

"Yes I think so…It is just that I am used to a more...Isolated environment" Raya answered honestly.

Hearing the words isolated environment Martha understood what was going on. Raya had lived alone for twenty years surrounded by what Clark had told her the most dangerous criminals in the known universe. In truth Martha hadn't really given much thought to what the blond Kryptonian had gone through spending so many years in such a hostile environment. "Raya if you need to step outside at all and you cant find Clark come and find me ok"

Raya looked at Martha with genuine surprise she knew that Kal's mother wasn't exactly happy with how close the two of them had become over the past few weeks and it warmed her heart to know that she was worried about her. "Thank you Mrs Kent"

"You know Clark I really hate these types of office parties" Everyone heard another voice say who they all recognised as Oliver Queen.

Clark let go of Raya's hand and turned around to see Oliver and Lois "Well I'm not exactly a fan either…Have you seen Patricia"

"Yeah she was just talking to Lex and if you ask me she's probably thinking of how much fun it would be to polish his head in acid"

Clark let out a little chuckle before turning his attention to Lois. "You look beautiful Lois…What happened"

Lois glared at Clark "Don't start smallville" Lois responded before a small smile formed on her face "And you cleanup nicely yourself" With that the group fell into comfortable conversation awaiting for Patricia to take to the stage to do the introductions.

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Bruce Wayne sat in the back of his car while Alfred drove them to Star Labs looking down at his laptop screen going over everything he had been able to find on Clark Kent. There was a lot of stuff on Clark especially his habits of getting involved with problems caused by Meta-Humans or Meteor Freaks as the locals seemed to call them. However there wasn't any information either confirming or denying that this Clark Kent maybe a Meta himself.

Bruce had hacked into Belle Reve and had looked over the medical files as well as the psychological profiles of the Meta's there and one name kept coming up when the patients were asked how they were beaten, and that name was Clark Kent. There were a lot of conflicting reports but from what Bruce had been able to piece together over the past few days was that this Clark Kent was extremely strong and fast far beyond what any normal human would be capable of doing. That was also bringing another question to Bruce's mind though and that was that if this Clark Kent is powerful enough to take on so many Meta's can he be trusted with Star Labs and use it responsibly. He would have to keep an eye on the young man and be ready to take him out if necessary.

"Master Bruce…We've arrived" Afraid said breaking Bruce out of his train of though.

"Thank you Alfred…Are you coming in or are you going back to the hotel"

"I'm not one for this sort of thing Master Bruce…Just call me when you need me to come pick you up" With that said Alfred got out of the car and made his way to the back where he opened the door for Bruce.

Bruce got out of the car and once again thanked Alfred before walking into Star Labs.

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Lex had spent the last twenty minutes or so talking with Patricia Swann trying to get a little information out of her about Virgil's relationship with Clark that would explain why his former friend had been given ownership of Star Labs. So far his very subtle interrogation was not going well and he was having to fight the urge to just grab the woman and pull her into another room to demand the answers to what he wanted to know.

Clark yet again had gotten his hands on something that as far as Lex was concerned belonged to him. Even if it took him years he would have gotten his hands on Star Labs eventually even if he had to bribe and threaten people to do it. The technology at the research company was amongst the most advanced in the world and would have greatly benefited him but now because of Clark that wouldn't happen. Lex knew that there was nothing he could do to Clark in terms of manipulating him or threatening him to hand control of the company over.

Lex realised that he would have to do something a little more drastic to gain control of Star Labs but it would take time and careful planning otherwise it could backfire badly and he would loose to Clark again. "Miss Swann" A female voice called out causing Lex to loose his train of thought.

Patricia who had been stuck with Lex for the last twenty minutes of so was grateful when she heard her name being called. Since the beginning of her conversation with Lex she could tell that he was probing for information about Clark's relationship with her father. She could remember the little boy Lex once was and it saddened her to see how far her had fallen. Clark had warned her that Lex for a lack of a better term had embraced his inner Darth Vader and gone the way of the Dark Side but to listen to him as he was trying to very subtly try to probe her for info made her see what Clark had meant. She could see the anger and frustration in his eyes when he wasn't getting the answers that he wanted.

Turning her attention to the woman that approached Patricia spoke "Yes"

"Miss Swann it's time" The woman said back.

Patricia knew then that she had to go and give her speech so to speak "Very well" Then turning to Lex she give him a small smile. "I'm sorry Lex but duty calls" With that said she left Lex and made her way to the small stage that had been set up.

Everyone noticed that Patricia had made her way on to the small stage so they stopped what they were doing and turned their attention to her. Patricia herself honestly couldn't wait for this to be done as she hated being the centre of attention.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen and I would like to welcome you all to Star Labs…For those of you who don't know me my name is Patricia Swann" Taking a deep breath Patricia let it out slowly before beginning her speech. "When my father created Star Labs he wanted a science and technology research company that would dedicate itself purely to the advancement of science without worrying about shareholders or governments…For that reason Star Labs funds itself via the sale and distribution of what is developed here…Now I know many of you have been wondering why I have handed control and ownership over to Mr Kent so I will give you the reason why…A few years ago my father became interested in something that he reading about online…It was a cave that had been found by Mr Kent and since Luthor Corp took over conservatorship of the cave my father had to find someone else who could share what they had learned about the cave…Now some of you who have met my father know that he had an interest in other languages as he believed that only through communication could the human race truly find peace…During his search for someone who had been in the caves I mentioned he contacted Mr Kent and from there the two of them struck up a friendship while trying to decipher the language…Although I don't think that they ever managed to translate the writings on the cave wall they became great friends and as time went on Mr Kent became a sort of unofficial student to my father…At the time of my fathers death he had wanted Mr Kent to continue his work in the advancement of scientific knowledge but unfortunately died before having a chance to change his will…Now I know many think that Mr Kent may be a little young to be given control of Star Labs but I will say that my father trusted him to continue his legacy and it is for that reason above all others why I have handed Star Labs over to him…I believe just as my father did that Mr Kent will do great things and that he will help keep my fathers legacy intact…So without any further delays I would like to hand the mic over to Mr Kent"

Clark let out a small groan as he made his way onto the stage really wishing that Patricia hadn't done that. He used to speak in front of crowds quite often in the other timeline during his days as Superman and in truth he always hated it. Since he was a reporter he knew how the press loved to twist things to make the story better even if it compromised things. Coming out of his thoughts he give Patricia a small smile as she moved away from the mic. Letting out a small sigh he glanced over to Raya and his mother before turning his attention to the people in the room. "Well this is a bit awkward since I am not one for speaking to a crowd…Right well I'm not going to give a huge speech or anything like that but what I will say is that Star Labs is Virgil Swann's legacy to the world and I can only hope that I can continue that legacy in a way that would make him proud…I learned a lot from Virgil and I will do my best to hold true to the lessons he taught me…Well that's about it…I hope you enjoy the rest of the evening" Just as Clark was about to back away from the mic one of the few reporters that were there spoke out and asked Clark if he was going to be giving any interviews as well as what his plans for the future are. Deciding to answer this one question he responded "In truth I haven't really got anything planned for the future as yet…I've only been here since Monday and I'm still playing catch up at the moment with all the research and development being done here…As to whether or not I will be giving interviews…Well I will be doing one interview and before anyone asks I have already promised the exclusive to a friend of mine that works for the Daily Planet…So that's the only question I will be answering tonight so please enjoy the rest of the evening" With that Clark backed away from the mic and went over to talk to Patricia.

"You could have warned me that you were going to do that" Clark said as he walked up behind Patricia.

"Where's the fun in that" She responded with a small smile before turning her attention to Lionel who was approaching with who she assumed was Clark's mother and another woman with blond hair who she guessed was Raya.

Clark noticed Patricia looking at Lionel and decided to answer a question that he knew she wanted the answer too. "It wasn't Lionel that killed your father…It was Bridgette Crosby…She made a deal with Lex regarding one of the stones" His voice was barely above a whisper and Patricia had to hide the shock she was feeling as she had been certain that Lionel had been the one to do it considering what he had done to the Queen's. She also knew that Clark wouldn't lie to her about what had happened to her father as well as the fact that he had told her that Lionel was now linked to Jor-El. In truth she wasn't sure how she felt about that but Clark had told her that while Lionel is still a little ruthless on times he is not the man he once was.

The only thing Patricia could do was to say thanks for telling her what really happened but now she was curious as to whether or not Lex was now involved with the death of her father. In that moment she decided that if it was the last thing she did on this earth she would find out the truth.

As Clark and everyone was at Star Labs a man in a truck was just arriving in the city with genuine curiosity over a symbol that had been appearing all over Metropolis. To anyone else this symbol that had been seen all over the city just showed people that this mysterious blur that had popped up had been there, but to the man in the truck it was more than that. It was a symbol that he would recognise anywhere because it was a symbol that belonged to the greatest of all the Kryptonian houses. It was the mark of the house of El and if what the man suspected was true then there was another Kryptonian on Earth.

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Bruce spent the last hour just observing Clark while trying to get a feel for him and what he had seen in the last hour intrigued him. As he watched the young man there were several things that became apparent. Firstly was that he seemed to have a very close relationship with his mother and a short blond woman who he guessed was about nineteen or twenty years of age. Around these two women he seemed to be more relaxed than what he appeared to be around other people except for one other person who was a blond woman in her mid twenties. Around this other woman he seemed to be completely at ease in a way that he wasn't even around his mother and that intrigued him even more. What he found interesting though was the fact that both Clark and this other woman seemed to have something in common and it was something that he noticed easily but from what he could tell nobody else did.

They way Clark moved and interacted with people was quite fascinating to Bruce as he noticed that when someone bumped into the young man he always seemed to give way even to those who were smaller than him. The same was true for the blond woman as well but he had noticed something else about her that instantly caught his attention. The blond woman seemed to be very uncomfortable around so many people and Bruce noticed how Clark seemed to stick close to her as if to reassure her that everything was alright. The other thing that Bruce noticed about the two was the way they moved in general and it was something that he knew nobody else would pick up on it. Both seemed to move in a way that told him that they had to stay in complete control of themselves as if they both had a power that was waiting to explode with devastating effects. It made Bruce wonder just what these two people were capable of doing or the damage they could do if they lost control. Through his observations though he noticed that Clark seemed to be more comfortable in his movements compared to the blond woman. This told him that if they both had powers that Clark had had his for a lot longer than the woman had and perhaps Bruce thought to himself he could use that to his advantage if he needed to.

"You know Bruce instead of watching Clark you could just go up and talk to him" An all to familiar voice said from behind causing Bruce to turn around only to see Oliver standing there.

"There's something not right about him and the blond he's with" Bruce stated in a matter of fact tone.

"This coming from a guy who dresses up as a bat" Oliver whispered back not wanting anyone to hear about the other billionaires nightly activities. "He's one of us Bruce and I trust him"

Bruce studied Oliver for a second and knew that the blond billionaire knew all about Clark "What can you tell me about him and the blond…She moves like he does as if they both need to stay in constant control…She however doesn't seem to have the same level of control as he does"

_What…Ok if Raya moves like Clark, does that mean she's like him and if that's true why hasn't he said anything about her…Wait a second if she doesn't have the same control as Clark and Clark is an alien does that mean she's knew here or does it mean she's only recently developed powers._ Oliver's mind was working quickly to come up with an answer but nothing was coming to mind.

Bruce saw the look in Oliver's eyes and instantly knew that he didn't know anything about the blond "You knew about Kent but not about the blond…Interesting"

Coming out of his thoughts he knew that Clark would have told him eventually, well that's what he hoped anyway. "I trust Clark…If he hasn't told me about her there's a good reason for it…Like I said he's one of us…In fact he's even helping me out with my current problem"

Bruce knew that Oliver was referring to Lex's 33.1 experiments and the blond billionaire had even asked him for his help but at the moment he was too busy trying to clean up Gotham. "What can he do"

"You could just ask him Bruce…He's one of the good guys so can you please stop with the whole everyone is evil but me routine…It gets a bit boring after a little while"

"Don't you think it's a little suspicious that he's been given total control over Star Labs" Bruce asked with suspicion evident in his voice.

_Well yeah I did at first until Clark told me that Virgil created Star Labs to help him in the first place._ "No not really…He did know Virgil and as Patricia said Clark was like one of his students and he trusted him keep his legacy alive in Star Labs" Letting out a sigh Oliver shook his head a bit "Why don't you just go and talk to Clark"

"Thanks but I like to watch from a distance…If he knows I'm watching then he won't act natural and I won't be able to get a feel for him" Letting out a sigh of his own he glance over at Clark for a second before looking back at Oliver. "You may trust him but I don't…From what I've been able to figure out he has a lot of power…Perhaps even too much power for any one person to have…That kind of power always corrupts people and in the end it will be left to people like us to clear up the mess"

"Damn Bruce your always so cynical…Just because some people can be twisted and evil doesn't mean that everyone on the planet is" With that said Oliver walked off leaving the Bruce there watching Clark from a distance.

"Maybe not everyone on the planet is evil but it's nice to be prepared just in case" Bruce muttered to himself. From what he had seen of Clark he didn't think the young man was evil but he needed to be prepared just in case.

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As the night came to a close Clark stood behind leaning against a wall just watching Raya. At first she was very wary of what people were doing around her and he had noticed that when someone bumped into her she seemed to be ready to take flight. Thankfully though she hadn't and as the night progressed she seemed to find things easier showing that she was beginning to adapt. He knew that it would take time for her to get over her fears caused by being alone in the zone for so long and he was glad that she was facing it head on.

"You like her don't you" Clark heard Chloe say as she walked up next to him.

Clark turned his head towards Chloe "Is it that obvious"

"Yeah" Chloe responded with a small smile.

Clark shook his head and let out a sigh "I tried so hard not to let this happen…My life is complicated enough without developing feelings for another Kryptonian"

"So what are you going to do"

"I honestly don't know…Being around her…Being around someone who is exactly like me is well intoxicating" Clark let out another sigh at that as he looked back over to Raya who was talking away with Lionel and Martha. That in all honesty was confusing him as he knew his mother had a few issues with another Kryptonian being around. Especially when said Kryptonian happened to be a female.

Chloe glanced at Clark before glancing over at Raya then she turned her attention back to him "You know Clark maybe you should indulge yourself just this once and let yourself feel something for someone other than Lana"

"This has nothing to do with Lana" Clark said back. Of course Chloe didn't know about the fact that he's from the future so she wouldn't know that he was at one point married to her cousin or that he had loved another woman as well. So naturally Chloe would assume that his reluctance to go after Raya would be about Lana. "To be honest Chlo I don't know if it's Raya I like or the fact that she's like me" _Ok that's not exactly true_. He thought to himself but he had to keep a lot from Chloe these days and he didn't want her asking to may questions.

"Clark your never going to figure it out unless you make a move…It's obvious that she likes you as more than just a friend" Sometimes Chloe had to admit that Clark could be a little dense when it comes to women and even worse when it came to his own emotions. "So my BDA friend get up off those buns of steel and do something" With that said Chloe walked off over to where Jimmy was sitting leaving Clark alone with his thoughts.

Just as Chloe left Raya turned and walked over to him "Hey Raya how are you doing"

Walking up next to him she leaned back against the wall "I am fine at the moment…I still seem to get a little nervous when I become surrounded by people but it's not as bad as it was at the beginning of the night" Turning her head towards him she noticed that he had his head pressed back against the wall with his eyes closed "Are you alright"

Opening his eyes Clark turned and looked at the blond Kryptonian. "Yeah I'm good just thinking about things that's all"

"Is there anything I can do to help" She asked.

Glancing down at her again he reached out with his left hand and took hold of her right one "Thanks but I'm good"

Raya noticed that he was holding tightly onto her hand and she couldn't stop herself from leaning into him and resting her head on his shoulder. As she leant into him she couldn't stop her mind from wandering as she remembered these little details of the way she interacted with him. She knew he was attracted to her and she too was attracted to him but for the life of her she couldn't understand why he was so hesitant. Ok she knew that he was raised as a human and was used to a more subtle approach to romantic situations but she couldn't understand why he just wouldn't take the plunge so to speak. That was when she realised that she was going to have to make the first move because by the looks of things she would be waiting until the sun itself burns out before he makes a move.

With that in mind and not really caring about where she was or any worries about public displays of affection she let go of his hand and moved away from the wall before moving in front of him. Clark realised that Raya was up to something and moved off the wall himself and looked down at the blond in confusion. Before he had a chance to say anything she took a step towards him and wrapped her arms around his waist and looked up into his eyes.

Clark looked down into Raya's eyes and started to get lost in the feel of her as her arms wrapped themselves around him. "Raya what are you doing" He managed to ask despite having a feeling that he knew what she was going to do.

Not taking her eyes from his she answered him. "Making the first move because waiting for you to do it is like waiting for the sun itself to burn out" With that she pushed herself up on her toes and gently pressed her lips against his.

The second their lips made contact it was as if the entire universe itself disappeared as the two Kryptonians lost themselves to the feel of the other. Within just a few seconds their tongues were freely probing the others mouth but what was driving them even more was the immense heat that seemed to be building between them. It wasn't the heat of the moment though, it was an actual physical heat being generated by their Kryptonian physiology and the temperature around the pair started to rise as they both felt the effects of their heat vision building within them. As they continued to kiss with all the passion they had they knew that they needed to stop before one of them looses control but neither could bring themselves to sever the contact.

Chloe turned back to look at Clark as Jimmy's jaw seemed to drop at something he was seeing. As she looked over she could see Clark and Raya totally lost in a huge make out session. From her position though she saw something that confused her slightly until she realised what was happening. Getting up from her seat she used the excuse that there were still a few people who hadn't left yet and they didn't need to see a make out session that was bordering on x-rated. Going over to the pair she reached them within a few seconds "You know if you two keep this up your likely to burn not just the room down but the entire building" He voice was loud enough for the two Kryptonians to hear but not for anyone else to hear clearly.

Both Kryptonians heard Chloe and instantly came back to their senses and if they were truthful completely confused. Neither had ever experience something like what just happened before in their lives. The only thing they could think to describe it was that their blood felt like it was on fire but not in a painful way. It wasn't something that either could actually describe as neither had ever felt anything like it before.

Clark turned his attention to Chloe knowing full well that he and Raya were so completely lost in each other that they could have done something to expose themselves and not even realise it "Did anything weird happen" He asked cautiously.

Chloe let out a small sigh and moved closer to the pair. "Only the fact that your heat vision kicked in a bit and not in their usual way either…I don't think anyone else noticed it but you opened your eyes for a split second and they were glowing a lot brighter than what they normally do"

"Ok that's new" Clark said slightly stumped by what Chloe had said. Luckily as he looked around the room there were only about a dozen people left and they all seemed to be lost in their own conversations so it didn't look like anyone saw anything. That in truth Clark was grateful for. Turning his attention back to the two blonds he give a weak smile "Maybe we should all head home…Security can deal with the stragglers"

Chloe nodded in agreement so they called Jimmy before walking over towards Martha and Lionel to tell them that they were going to head off home. What nobody noticed though was Bruce Wayne getting up from the table he was sitting at with Oliver and Lois and pulling out his cell phone and pressing a button on it. As he pressed the button a small video clip played on the phone showing Clark and Raya's make out as well as catching the glow of Clark's heat vision.

After putting his phone back in his pocket Bruce turned to Oliver. "Well Queen I'm going to head out" Then letting out a small sigh he decided that maybe he should take Oliver up on his offer and help out a bit with 33.1 as it would be a good way to watch this Clark Kent. "I'm going back to Gotham in a few days but if your offer is still open about that project your working on then count me in" With that said he left leaving Oliver confused for a few seconds before realising what Bruce was talking about.

As Bruce made his way out he glanced back at Clark for a second. _This should be interesting and if he's using his powers to help people then he could be a good ally but someone needs to prepare for the worst just in case_. With that Bruce made his way out of the building before calling Alfred on his cell.

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There you go people Part 3 of Chapter 2 is up so let me know what you think.

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